NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram highlighted a 26-point performance with a 3-pointer that sparked an 8-2 run in the final 2:35, and the New Orleans Pelicans held on for a 112-105 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
Ingram’s 3 gave New Orleans a 102-98 lead. Soon after, Dyson Daniels went to the floor to grab a loose ball and and delivered a clever bounce pass between a defender’s legs to the perimeter, where Trey Murphy III, who’d missed his first six shots, hit a 3. Larry Nance Jr., playing for the first time in 14 games, followed that with a cutting dunk on a feed from Zion Williamson to make it 107-100.
Utah was within 109-105 on Lauri Markkanen’s free throws with 38 seconds left before Murphy put it away with another 3 with 18 seconds to go.
Williamson had 21 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double and fifth of the season as the Pelicans outscored the Jazz 62-42 in the paint. CJ McCollum added 22 points for New Orleans, which snapped a two-game skid.
Collin Sexton scored 26 points for Utah, which had won its previous three during a five-game trip that ended in New Orleans. Markkanen had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz. Walker Kessler hit all five of his shots and finished with 11 points while Jordan Clarkson had 10 points.
McCollum had 14 points in the first half, when he hit four 3s.
Nance, returning from a rib injury, had nine points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes. His cutting dunk gave New Orleans its largest lead of the game at 57-46 in the second quarter.
Markkanen’s 3 and Kelly Olynyk’s putback helped Utah cut it to 59-51 at halftime.
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