After losing at home to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, 112-104, the New Orleans Pelicans traveled to Tennessee to take on a Memphis Grizzlies team that played without Ja Morant. An explosive fourth quarter for the Pelicans led to a 133-127 win, improving the young team’s record to 11-36.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
New Orleans got off to a slow start, falling behind 9-2 through the first four minutes. The lone bucket for the Pelicans was a Zion Williamson dunk off a Derik Queen offensive rebound. The Pels then went on a 12-5 run with Trey Murphy III putting up five points and Queen tying the game with a dunk midway through the opening quarter.
The final six minutes of the period were back-and-forth, with New Orleans taking a one-point lead for about 20 seconds before GG Jackson hit a three-pointer. Jaren Jackson Jr lived at the free throw line, scoring Memphis’ final seven points on the quarter from the charity stripe. The game was tied at 30 after Jordan Poole hit a three-pointer and Yves Missi dunked the basketball after Jackson Jr missed his first free throw.
The Pelicans found much success within 12 feet of the basket, making six shots through the first six and a half minutes of the second quarter. It wasn’t until the 5:34 mark that New Orleans scored beyond midrange when Jeremiah Fears found Karlo Matkovic for the open three ball. Leading up to that play, Murphy had an and-one layup, and Queen knocked down a turnaround fadeaway to give the Pels the lead.
Memphis responded by going on a 12-4 run. Jackson got it started with a shot from downtown, then Jock Landale and Jayden Wells drove into the paint before Landale caught Cam Spencer’s alley-oop pass as the Grizzlies reclaimed the lead. Jackson Jr capped off the run with a floater to give his team the four-point advantage. A pair of free throws from Murphy III and Saddiq Bey were the lone points for the Pels.
The final couple of minutes featured a flurry of scoring from both sides as there were six made baskets on seven possessions and 16 points scored. The lone non-scoring possession was when Jackson Jr stole the ball from Williamson, leading to a bucket by Spencer. Murphy III made the final shot of the quarter, but the Grizzlies were still ahead 65-60 going into the half.
Bey scored the first basket of the second half, yet the Pelicans found themselves down by 12 three minutes into the third quarter. Memphis scored on three straight possessions, including shots from downtown by Spencer and Cedric Coward. Murphy III ended the scoring drought for New Orleans with a three-pointer, and Bey added one of his own on the following possession to cut the lead in half in just 26 seconds.
Murphy III and Bey continued to be the main sources of offense for New Orleans before Fears scored on consecutive possessions to keep the game close. In the final 1:16 of the third, five shots were made with Poole knocking down a three-pointer with less than a second to go. That shot made it an eight-point game going into the fourth.
The New Orleans defense stood strong early in the final quarter, not giving up a point to Memphis until nearly three minutes in. In that time, Williamson scored twice in the paint, and Missi had another slam dunk to cut it to two. Vince Williams hit a three-pointer for the first Grizzly basket before a two-minute scoring drought by both teams.
Bey began to take over midway through the fourth quarter, scoring seven straight for New Orleans. Overall, Bey recorded 19 points in the final seven minutes, making shots from all three levels and doing so in bunches.
After Coward hit back-to-back threes, the Pelicans outscored the Grizzlies 18-10 over the final three minutes. Bey, Williamson, and Murphy III made clutch shots down the stretch. New Orleans was up by as much as eight in the closing seconds and came out on top 133-127 after the final buzzer. The win improved the Pelicans’ record to 11-36.
BIG NUMBER: 85
New Orleans had a good shooting night, making 46% of its shots and going 28/33 from the free throw line, good for 85%. Memphis didn’t get as many opportunities at the line, making 19 out of 22 attempts as the Pels earned their fourth road win of the season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Saddiq Bey
Bey had a game-high 36 points on 13/20 shooting and knocked down 6/9 three-point attempts. The 26-year-old guard also recorded four rebounds and assists in the Pelicans 136-127 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
UP NEXT: The New Orleans Pelicans will travel to Texas to take on the San Antonio Spurs. Tipoff from the Frost Bank Center is set for 6:00 PM on Sunday, January 25th.