The New Orleans Pelicans were enjoying another smooth ride on offense – then they ran out of gas.
Two nights after riding a season-high point total in a 143-130 victory against the Chicago Bulls, the Pelicans were rolling toward a repeat performance into the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies.
But they scored just nine points in the final six minutes of regulation and just six in overtime, and the Grizzlies surged to a 133-128 victory on Wednesday night in the Smoothie King Center.
“I love the way they’re playing,” interim head coach James Borrego said. “It stinks that we didn’t get over the hump tonight.”
The late drop-off in scoring was accompanied by a porous post-halftime defense that enabled the larger Memphis team to get free repeatedly for dunks and layups that triggered the Grizzlies’ 66-50 scoring edge in the paint.
“The best way to counter size is with our pace,” Borrego said. “But when they score 39 and 30 in the last two quarters, you’re having to go against their half-court defense a little more.”
The Pelicans (3-16) had eight double-figure scorers for the second consecutive game, and Jose Alvarado led the way with a season-high 24 points (making 6-of-11 3-pointers).
“Jose was phenomenal,” Borrego said.
Saddiq Bey had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Zion Williamson scored 17, Jordan Hawkins scored a season-high 14 (making a season-high four 3-pointers on seven attempts), Trey Murphy III scored 12, Micah Peavy had 11 and Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears added 10 each.
“We’re trying to do the right thing on offense and share the ball,” Alvarado said. “Whoever’s open, take the shot.”
The Grizzlies (7-12), who played their fifth consecutive game without star guard Ja Morant, who averages 17.9 points and 7.6 assists, because of a right calf strain, had no trouble replacing his output.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a season-high 27 points, Jaylen Wells had a season-high 25, Zach Edey had a season-high 21 points and 15 rebounds, Sani Aldama scored 14, Cedric Coward scored 12, Cam Spencer and Jock Landale added 11 each and Vince Williams Jr. had a career-high 17 assists.
The score was tied twice in overtime before Jackson fed an unguarded Wells for a tie-breaking dunk with 47.3 seconds left. After a Williamson turnover Williams made one of two free throws for a three-point lead.
With the shot clock expiring Williamson missed an off-balance 3-pointer. Bey tied up Edey and New Orleans got the ball back with 8.5 seconds when Edey tapped the jump ball out of bounds.
But no Pelican could get open, Alvarado’s in-bounds pass was stolen and Jackson made two free throws to finish the scoring.
The Pelicans will play at Golden State on Saturday and at the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday before returning home for two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves beginning next Tuesday.
The Grizzlies, who overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to beat New Orleans 128-122 in the season opener Oct. 22 in Memphis, needed just the first three minutes of the third quarter to score 13 points and cut the Pelicans’ 15-point halftime lead to 70-66.
Hawkins made three 3-pointers, Bey made two and Murphy and Bryce McGowens made one each, and New Orleans took a 100-92 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans suddenly went cold midway through the fourth, scoring just two points in four minutes, and Memphis scored 13 to take a two-point lead with 2:03 left.
“We needed to get some stops,” Alvarado said, “and we fell short.”
Bey made a 3-pointer to start a string of four lead changes before Williamson’s driving layup with 0.9 seconds left tied the score at 122, and the game went to overtime.
The Pelicans had their highest-scoring first quarter of the season (37 points) against the Bulls, then surpassed it against the Grizzlies.
Memphis raced to an 18-9 lead after 4½ minutes, but New Orleans used a 30-7 run to open a 39-25 lead at the end of the period. Nine Pelicans scored, led by Alvarado’s 11 points.
New Orleans pushed the lead to 17 points early in the second quarter before six Grizzlies scored during a 20-5 run that reduced the lead to two points. The Pelicans nearly negated that run as five scorers contributed to an 18-5 run that produced a 68-53 halftime lead.