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ZION Williamson and Brandon Ingram each scored 26 points as host New Orleans Pelicans held on to defeat the Utah Jazz (129-124) on Monday night.
Lonzo Ball added 23 points, JJ Redick 17, Josh Hart 13 and Eric Bledsoe 11 as the Pelicans cooled down the team with the best record in the NBA. New Orleans had a 53-39 rebounding advantage, led by Steven Adams’ 11 rebounds.
Bojan Bogdanović scored 31, Rudy Gobert 22, Donovan Mitchell 21, Jordan Clarkson 20 and Mike Conley 10 to lead the Jazz.
Utah, which had won 23 of its last 26 games, including two home wins against New Orleans, fell to 1-2 on a road trip that ends Wednesday in Philadelphia.
The Jazz cut a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to one at the end of the fourth quarter, but couldn’t equalize.
Utah led five on points at halftime, but Williamson scored a quick 10 points to lead New Orleans to even 73 midway through the third quarter.
The score was tied three more times before Redick’s 3-pointer gave the Pelicans an 82-79 lead.
Ball added two free throws and Williamson followed with a layup and a three-point play to complete a 10-0 run as the Jazz were scoreless for nearly three minutes.
Williamson scored 15 of his team’s 40 points in the period and New Orleans had a 99-88 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Pelicans scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and Redick’s four-point play pushed their lead to 107-90.
Utah pulled away and got within seven came within 11 points, but Ball responded with a 3-pointer with 3:54 left.
The Jazz scored eight straight free throws before a 3-pointer by Royce O’Neale put them to 125-124 with 47 seconds left.
Ingram missed a jump shot and Utah could have taken the lead, but Mitchell missed a layup. – Reuters
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