For the New Orleans Pelicans, blowing big leads has been too common of an occurrence in the first half of the season.
Before Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz, eight of the Pelicans’ losses had come in games where the team led by 10 or more.
In the second quarter against Utah, New Orleans pulled ahead by 11. New Orleans briefly fell behind in the third quarter, but this time, it was able to find its composure.
The Pelicans survived some uneven moments and beat a middling Jazz team 112-105 at Smoothie King Center.
Brandon Ingram scored 26 points, including 12 points in the third quarter, as the Pelicans picked up their first win on a five-game home stand and improved their record to 18-14.
The Pelicans’ star trio of Ingram, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum played important parts in ending the team’s two-game losing streak. Williamson notched 21 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Meanwhile, McCollum buried four 3-pointers on his way to 22 points.
“It was fantastic," Pelicans coach Willie Green said. "We’ve all been talking about it. We talked about it in practice. We watched film together. How can we hold each other accountable and be better in these types of games? Give CJ, B.I., Z credit. They played well tonight. They did what they needed to do to win.”
New Orleans, which was ranked 16th in offense before Thursday’s game, got off to a good start against Utah. It scored 39 points in the first quarter.
Williamson converted the first seven shots he took. His impact went beyond just scoring the ball, too. He finished with eight assists — two shy of his first career triple-double.
With 1:47 remaining before half, the Pelicans went ahead by 11 after McCollum assisted Larry Nance Jr. for a dunk. Nance, who was playing in his first game since Nov. 27, played a major part in the win. He got his hands on five steals, and coach Willie Green used Nance in his closing lineup.
With 1:27 left, Williamson dished the ball to Nance inside. Nance elevated for a dunk to push New Orleans ahead by seven.
“He was ready," Green said about Nance. "He was definitely ready to play. It’s been a buildup to get to this point. He was ready. We were all ready to get him on the floor. We missed that flexibility to be able to have guys who can guard multiple screens, who can switch.”
The Jazz cut the Pelicans’ lead to one possession multiple times in the final two minutes. Each time, the Pelicans responded.
Pelicans forward Trey Murphy was scoreless until the final two minutes of the game. With his team clinging to a two-point lead, Murphy buried a deep 3 with 1:47 left. Murphy struck again with 17 seconds remaining by sinking a 3 from the right wing to put the Pelicans ahead by seven points.
The Jazz called a timeout, but their chances to win were neutralized after Murphy's two makes.
New Orleans improved to 6-8 in “clutch” games (score within five points at any point in the final five minutes) this season.
"We have been watching the film like everyone else," McCollum said. "Trying to find ways to not be so stagnant. How to find matchups. We got some high pick and rolls. We got the ball in the right guys' hands. So being able to make the right decision when to go up, when to kick it out was important."