Jose Alvarado scored 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15.4 seconds left, and the New Orleans Pelicans got their first victory of the season by defeating the Charlotte Hornets 116-112 on Tuesday night in the Smoothie King Center.
After Alvarado’s shot, rookie Derik Queen knocked the ball loose from the Hornets, and Trey Murphy made a steal and hit two free throws. Miles Bridges missed a 3-pointer for the Hornets, and Saddiq Bey added a free throw for the Pelicans.
Eight different Pelicans scored in double figures, led by Murphy with 21 points, Alvarado with 18, Bey at 17, Karlo Matkovic with 13, Queen at 12, and Herb Jones, Jordan Poole and Jeremiah Fears all chipping in 11.
The Pelicans announced before the game that Zion Williamson was sidelined by a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and will be evaluated in 7-10 days. Hamstring issues have been especially problematic for him during the last two seasons of his injury-plagued career.
The Pelicans (1-6) played the front end of a back-to-back at home on Tuesday and start a three-game road trip when they visit the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Miles Bridges scored 22 points; Kon Knueppel had 20 points and 12 rebounds; Tre Mann scored 18; Collin Sexton scored 17; and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte. Former Tulane guard Sion James started for the Hornets (3-5) and had six points and five rebounds in 31 minutes.
The Hornets scored the first 11 points of the third quarter to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 70-61 lead.
The Pelicans crept within two points on five occasions but couldn’t pull even, and Charlotte took a 93-87 lead into the fourth quarter.
Knueppel made a 3-pointer to start the fourth-quarter scoring, but New Orleans kept chipping away until Alvarado’s heroics.
Charlotte made three consecutive 3-pointers and opened a 17-8 lead before the Pelicans came to life. Jones, Murphy, Alvarado and Poole each made a 3-pointer, and Matkovic added seven points during a 25-10 run that gave New Orleans a six-point lead.
Bridges’ 3-pointer trimmed the lead to 33-30 after a first quarter in which the Pelicans made 6-of-10 3-pointers.
New Orleans never relinquished the lead in the second quarter, and Murphy scored 13 of his points in the period as the lead grew to 57-45. Bridges scored seven points and Charlotte finished on a 14-4 run that trimmed the lead to 61-59 at halftime.