Brandon Ingram scored 29 points, CJ McCollum added 25, and the New Orleans Pelicans broke a nine-game losing streak with a 126-124 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
Trey Murphy III contributed 19 points, Dejounte Murray had 17, Herbert Jones scored 12, and Brandon Boston Jr. chipped in 11 for the Pelicans.
For the Suns, Devin Booker scored 28 points, and Bradley Beal had 24. Royce O’Neale scored 19 points, Grayson Allen added 13 points and 10 assists, and Tyus Jones also scored 13 points.
Murray hit a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play to help New Orleans score the first eight points of the third quarter, bringing the Pelicans to within 65-62. The Suns led by six points three more times, but Ingram took over for New Orleans.
Ingram made four 3-pointers, including three in just 36 seconds, and scored 15 points during a 22-10 run that gave the Pelicans a 99-93 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Beal’s 3-pointer tied the game at 101, but McCollum responded with a field goal and a 3-pointer to push New Orleans to a 109-101 lead.
O’Neale’s five points helped the Suns get within 111-110, but McCollum’s three-point play and Murray’s basket extended the lead to six for the Pelicans.
Booker scored four points, putting Phoenix up by one, but McCollum made two free throws, and Jones hit a 3-pointer to put New Orleans ahead by four. Booker made four free throws, but McCollum drove for a score and assisted Murphy on a dunk, giving New Orleans a 125-121 lead with 14 seconds left.
Allen made a 3-pointer, and McCollum hit one of two free throws, leaving the Pelicans with a two-point lead. Jones then blocked Booker’s 3-pointer as time ran out.
Booker, who had scored 52 points in each of his last two games in New Orleans, had 15 points in the first quarter. McCollum’s 3-pointer gave New Orleans a 34-33 lead after the first period.
Beal, O’Neale, and Tyus Jones hit 3-pointers during an 11-0 run, giving Phoenix a 57-44 lead.
Boston scored four points, and Murphy added five as the Pelicans trimmed the Suns’ lead to 65-54 by halftime.
