Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas each had a double-double and the New Orleans Pelicans won their fifth consecutive game by holding off the visiting Detroit Pistons 104-98 on Wednesday night.
Williamson had 29 points and 10 rebounds and Valanciunas added 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Pelicans won for the 10th time in 12 games. Trey Murphy III scored 20 points and Naji Marshall added 17 off the New Orleans bench.
Saddiq Bey scored 25 while Killian Hayes had 17 points and 12 assists to lead the Pistons, who were completing a back-to-back after winning 116-96 at Miami on Tuesday. Alec Burks put up 14 points, Jalen Duren had 12 points and 13 rebounds, Jaden Ivey scored 12 and Isaiah Stewart had 10 as Detroit lost for the fifth time in seven games.
The Pelicans’ 13-point halftime lead grew to 16 early in the third quarter when the Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic received two technical fouls, was ejected and Murphy made both technical free throws.
Ivey and Bey each made a 3-pointer to help Detroit trim the deficit to 10 points midway through the period.
Williamson answered with a basket, but Bey made two 3-pointers and Ivey and Burks made one each to get the Pistons within four. CJ McCollum’s jumper gave New Orleans a 79-73 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Detroit got within four points three times before Valanciunas made consecutive baskets to push the lead to eight with 5:05 to go.
The Pistons got within three on a Bey 3-pointer with 2:49 left, but Murphy answered with a trey.
Hayes’ 3-pointer trimmed the difference to 97-94 with 2:20 remaining.
Williamson made one of two free throws before Marshall scored on a put-back with 28.9 seconds left, and the Pelicans maintained a two-score lead down the stretch.
Early on, Detroit led by as many as six points, but Devonte’ Graham’s three-point play trimmed the gap to 28-27 at the end of the first quarter.
Bey’s two free throws gave the Pistons a three-point lead before Valanciunas had three baskets as New Orleans took a 42-35 edge.
Hayes’ basket pulled Detroit within two points, but the Pelicans finished on a 14-3 run to take a 56-43 lead at halftime.
–Field Level Media
