Jaren Jackson Jr. produced 29 points and seven assists and Luke Kennard added a season-high 27 as the host Memphis Grizzlies won their fifth straight with a 139-126 victory Friday over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans had their season-best four-game win streak snapped.
Desmond Bane added 20 points — his seventh straight game with at least 20 — and 14 assists for the Grizzlies, who improved to 18-5 at home. Reserve Brandon Clarke had 14 points and nine rebounds, and rookie big man Zach Edey contributed 13 points and 11 boards.
Dejounte Murray led New Orleans with 26 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds, while CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III scored 22 points each. Jordan Hawkins added 20 points off the bench.
Each team’s top player — Ja Morant of the Grizzlies and Zion Williamson of the Pelicans — sat out the game. Morant was listed with an illness and Williamson was recovering from one. Williamson has missed 35 of the team’s 45 games, the majority because of a left hamstring injury.
Trailing 71-62 at the half, the Grizzlies opened the third quarter with a 28-12 run to pull ahead. Memphis scored 43 points in the quarter, led by Jackson with 15 and Bane with 14. In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies built an 18-point advantage after a tip-in by Clarke in the closing minutes.
Kennard hit seven 3-pointers for his second straight game. He scored 23 points in Memphis’ home win over Charlotte on Wednesday.
Murray, who missed 17 games earlier this season for New Orleans with a left hand injury, was coming off a 26-point, 11-assist, nine-rebound effort in Monday’s overtime win over visiting Utah. The Pelicans’ scheduled home game Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks was postponed because of historic snowfall in New Orleans.
The Grizzlies hit their first seven shots and built an early nine-point lead, but the Pelicans recovered as they outscored Memphis 42-29 in the second quarter.
There were 11 lead changes in the second quarter before the Pelicans pulled away in the final three minutes. New Orleans put together a 15-2 run to take a 71-62 halftime lead. The Pelicans made five 3-pointers in the quarter and shot 58.3 percent from the floor.
Murray had 17 points at the half and McCollum and Hawkins 15 each.
Kennard scored 14 in the half and GG Jackson added 10.
–Field Level Media
