The New Orleans Pelicans were trying to extend their season-best, four-game winning streak when they took a 24-point lead in the second quarter against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
However, Ja Morant took over in his season debut and led a Memphis comeback that produced a 115-113 victory, ending the Pelicans’ run.
New Orleans will try to bounce back from the squandered opportunity when it visits the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have won three games in a row, on Thursday night.
“We’ve been playing good basketball, but last night was just a game where we had a letdown,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said after practice Wednesday. “We’re not going to put our whole season into one game, but this is definitely a moment for us to grow.”
New Orleans seemed to take command with a 60-36 lead, but Memphis scored the final five points of the first half and began the second half with a 21-9 run that changed the direction of the game.
“When teams get down 18, 20, whatever it is,” Green said, “they’re going to come out in the second half and they’re going to pick it up, they’re going to be more physical, they’re going to execute better, they’re going to play faster, and we have to up our level and we didn’t do that in the second half.”
The Grizzlies finished the game on a 13-5 run that was punctuated by Morant’s game-winning basket from the lane as time expired.
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 34 points, but Zion Williamson scored just 13 while being limited to 25 minutes due to foul trouble.
New Orleans is 7-7 on the road after sweeping a recent three-game road trip.
Cleveland is 9-6 at home after winning its past four home games, including a 124-116 victory against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Sam Merrill, who had career highs of 19 points and five 3-pointers in a 135-130 overtime home victory against the Houston Rockets on Monday, surpassed those milestones with 27 points and eight 3-pointers against the Jazz.
“I grew up as a Jazz fan in Utah, so to be able to have a game like this against them is even more special,” Merrill said. “To do that while we’re winning games, that’s what you dream about as a kid. You’ve got to enjoy these moments, for sure.”
Two Cavaliers starters — point guard Darius Garland (jaw) and forward Evan Mobley (knee) — are out for an extended period, and leading scorer Donovan Mitchell missed the Wednesday game because of an illness.
“This isn’t going to be a ‘one person lifts us up’ situation, and I thought our guys have done a phenomenal job picking up the slack,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It speaks to the character of these guys and their willingness to sacrifice.”
Max Strus made six 3-pointers to score 18 points and Jarrett Allen had 17 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland, which made 23 3-pointers on a franchise-record 51 long-distance attempts.
Georges Niang scored 15 points as the Cavaliers’ reserves outscored their Utah counterparts 75-32.
–Field Level Media