Zion Williamson scored 36 points and the host New Orleans Pelicans held off the Washington Wizards 133-126 on Wednesday night.
CJ McCollum added 26 points, Brandon Ingram scored 18, Naji Marshall and Trey Murphy III each had 13 and Jonas Valanciunas 10 for the Pelicans, who posted their third win in a row and their seventh in eight games. Williamson also contributed eight assists and six rebounds.
Deni Avdija had a career-high 43 points plus 15 rebounds, Corey Kispert scored 20, Jordan Poole put up 19, Marvin Bagley III produced 14 points and 10 rebounds and Tyus Jones had 14 points and 15 assists for the Wizards, who lost their eighth consecutive game.
Avdija scored nine points during a 15-6 run to start the third quarter, giving Washington a 75-74 lead.
The Pelicans regained the lead briefly before the Wizards opened a six-point edge on a layup by Kispert.
Williamson sandwiched two field goals around one by Jose Alvarado as the Pelicans scored the last six points and took a 99-98 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The score was tied twice early in the fourth quarter before Williamson had a field goal and an assist to help the Pelicans take a five-point lead.
The Wizards pulled even at 115 with 5:30 to play before Williamson made consecutive field goals and Marshall and Ingram added one each for an eight-point lead.
Jones and Avdija made consecutive 3-pointers to trim the lead to four points with 1:45 remaining, but the Pelicans made eight consecutive free throws to hold on.
The score was tied at nine before McCollum scored the first seven points of a 9-0 Pelicans run.
Kispert’s 3-pointer ended the sequence, and the Wizards got as close as three points three times in the remainder of the period. Williamson scored New Orleans’ final three points and the Pelicans held a 31-26 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Williamson scored eight points as New Orleans started the second quarter with a 14-0 run that produced a 19-point lead.
Bagley made a layup for Washington’s first points of the quarter before the Pelicans took their biggest lead at 66-46 on a basket by Williamson.
The Wizards made four 3-pointers and closed with a 14-2 run that trimmed the gap to 68-60 entering halftime.
–Field Level Media