CJ McCollum predicts 'lot of winning in our future' after leading New Orleans Pelicans to play-in victory over San Antonio Spurs

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Wherever he goes in New Orleans right now, he says he feels the buzz about the Pelicans.

On Wednesday, in front of a sold-out crowd at the Smoothie King Center, that carried over as the Pelicans walked away with a 113-103 victory over the San Antonio Spurs to advance in the NBA's play-in tournament.

This is the start of something special. Feel the energy. My family is in town. The city should be excited about basketball, as they can feel it when we go out to eat. There is a lot of talent here. The game is being played the right way. It is going to be a lot of winning in our future.

In the first half, he scored 27 points, including 19 in the second quarter, when he was 7-of-7 from the field.

Willie Green said that McCollum was a calming force for the team.

The rest of the guys started to feed off of him. He has been in these moments before. He played on a big stage. He goes out and plays the game that he has.

He had a game-high 32 points.

The Spurs are always going to go on a run. They are well-coached. They do it. They have a lot of players who can shoot. When you get a chance to get up double digits, you have to put the pedal to the metal and be aggressive.

How and when to get others involved was understood by McCollum.

Brandon was out for three games and 13 of the past 18 with a right hamstring issue. In the first quarter, he had 11 of his 27 points, because the Pelicans gave him the ball early.

New Orleans gave Valanciunas the ball in the third quarter, and he went for 12 of his 22 points.

Just talking to them when I need to. When asked how he was calming in the game, he said that he understood what they were trying to execute. Get the ball to JV. Don't settle for 3 if you want to get to the middy. Attack the basket and be aggressive. We received the bonus early. Pick my spots. I try to be more aggressive in the playoffs.

The eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans will play at the LA Clippers on Friday in order to advance to the playoffs and face the top-seeded Phoenix Suns.

The first team to make the playoffs after starting 1-12 or worse was the Suns in 1996-97, and the fourth team to do so was the Pelicans.

It is fun. It is exciting. It shows how far we have come, starting off 1-12. It's a blessing to have a chance to make the playoffs. We have to keep going. The Smoothie King Center was lively.

While this was his first time at the arena, he remembers it getting loud in the past, particularly when the Pelicans swept the Trail blazers in the first round of the playoffs.

The effort Wednesday night is indicative of what the team will be able to do in the future.

I am happy about it. When we get back here, I am looking forward to seeing more sellouts. We will reward them with a high level of play and energy. We will leave it all out on the court.