Herbert Jones scored 17 points and Brandon Ingram added 16, including a pair of late goals, as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated Memphis 96-87 on Monday night, the Grizzlies’ ninth consecutive loss. Zion Williamson scored 14 points and CJ McCollum contributed 11 to help New Orleans win its second straight. Jones got nine rebounds, and New Orleans outrebounded Memphis 49-37.
“They fought us for 48 minutes,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said of the Memphis Grizzlies and their weak roster. “We did not get off to a good start, but we eventually got going. We came out in the third quarter and were playing good, but then everything fell apart.
While the Pelicans struggled to shoot in the fourth, Memphis was never able to overcome New Orleans’ lead. But things got sticky with three minutes left, as the Grizzlies closed the gap to five points twice.
“We just went back to relying on our defense,” Jones stated about the fourth quarter. “We kept playing hard. We knew it was still an NBA franchise. They are still NBA players. We knew they were going to play hard. We just needed to keep pushing.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. paced the Grizzlies with 22 points, while Vince Williams Jr. and Luke Kennard each scored 12. Williams also made nine assists. Yuta Watanabe scored 11 points to spark a fourth-quarter Memphis surge.
Watanabe was acquired by Memphis at the trade deadline. The small forward began his career with the Memphis Grizzlies after going undrafted in 2018. He scored three times early in the fourth as Memphis trimmed the Pelicans’ lead.
“Yuta’s excellent. “I’m glad he’s returned,” Jackson added. “I know he plays hard. I know he has a fantastic feel for the game. I am just thrilled he’s here.”
New Orleans’ 14-point lead at halftime expanded to 25 in the third period. The Pelicans, with their complete roster, appeared to have too much offensive firepower for the patchwork Grizzlies to keep up.
However, Memphis rallied 25-7 in the third and fourth quarters to make the game more competitive midway through the fourth, as New Orleans’ lead had shrunk to seven points. Memphis finally closed to 90-85 with three minutes left in the quarter, but the Pelicans were only 1 of 12 from the floor at the time.
“We found a way at the end to win the game, and that’s the important part,” Green told reporters.
On Monday, the Pelicans learned that Dyson Daniels had a meniscus injury in his left knee, which will keep him out of action for a prolonged amount of time, a huge blow for New Orleans’ bench production. However, the reserves helped turn a competitive game into a double-digit lead in the opening period. A 21-8 surge in the second half gave New Orleans a 61-47 lead at halftime.
As Memphis limps through the rest of the season with a skeleton crew, a number of players, including Watanabe and Lamar Stevens, who were traded to the Boston Celtics on the trade deadline, are getting an opportunity to exhibit their talents. He ended with ten points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.
“I was really impressed with those guys,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said about his lineup, adding, “Those guys gave us a huge spark, and the second half was great.”
