Zion Williamson scored a season-high 32 points, Brandon Ingram added 30 and the New Orleans Pelicans finished group play in the NBA In-Season Tournament on a winning note, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 116-106 on Friday night.
Williamson scored nine points in the final 12 minutes as the Pelicans improved to 3-1 in West Group B play. Houston is 2-1 in the group but would take the top spot in the group with a win over Dallas on Tuesday by virtue of its win over New Orleans earlier in the tournament.
New Orleans also extended its winning streak to three and has won five of its last six.
Paul George scored 34 points while Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard had 20 apiece for the Clippers, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Los Angeles was 1-3 in group play.’
A free throw by Russell Westbrook got the Clippers within 87-86 before the Pelicans took control with a 20-8 run over a five-minute span. Herb Jones scored nine of his 14 points during the spurt and Ingram added six.
Ingram had 16 points in the first 10 minutes, including 10 straight points during a 14-0 run, as the Pelicans raced out to a 33-12 lead. The Clippers closed out the quarter on an 11-3 run to trail 36-23 after 12 minutes.
New Orleans pushed its advantage to 47-30 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jordan Hawkins, but the Clippers outscored the Pelicans 25-9 over the final eight minutes to get within one at halftime. George scored eight during the run and Leonard added seven.
