Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and Lonzo Ball added 20 as the New Orleans Pelicans held off the Indiana Pacers for a 114-113 victory Friday night in Indianapolis.
Zion Williamson scored 18, Steven Adams had 12 points and 12 rebounds, JJ Redick scored 12 and Josh Hart scored 11 for the Pelicans.
Justin Holiday scored 22, Jeremy Lamb had 17, Doug McDermott added 14, Malcolm Brogdon scored 13, Myles Turner scored 12 and Goga Bitadze added 10 for the Pacers.
The Pacers made five 3-pointers during an 18-10 run to start the fourth quarter and closed within 96-93 midway through the period.
Ball answered with a 3-pointer, but Justin Holiday, Aaron Holiday and McDermott responded with consecutive 3-pointers to give Indiana 102-101 lead.
The score was tied at 105, 107 and 110 before Adams made a tip-in and Ingram hit a jumper for a four-point Pelicans lead with 42 seconds left.
Turner answered with a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left, but that ended the scoring as Ingram missed a jumper and Turner missed on a drive.
Indiana scored the first five points of the third quarter to close within 58-53.
Ball responded with a 3-pointer and Adams had seven points during a 16-7 run that gave New Orleans a 76-60 lead.
The lead grew to as much as 18 points before Justin Holiday made three 3-pointers and Bitadze beat the buzzer with another 3-pointer to trim the Pelicans’ lead to 86-75 at the end of the quarter.
The score was tied twice and the lead changed hands nine times before Williamson’s dunk gave New Orleans a 25-16 lead.
Indiana scored the next seven points to produce another lead change before Ingram put the Pelicans back on top by making two free throws.
Baskets by Lamb and McConnell gave the Pacers a 30-27 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Hart and Redick gave New Orleans a 40-34 lead.
McDermott’s 3-pointer pulled Indiana within 42-41 before the Pelicans led by as many as 10 points and took a 57-48 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media