NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 25 points, Trey Murphy scored 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame an early 18-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 124-109 on Wednesday night.
Dejounte Murray scored 17 points and 11 assists, and Zion Williamson and rookie Derek Quinn scored 14 points each for the Pelicans, who received a standing ovation in the final seconds to win their sixth straight home game and ninth in the past 13 games.
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Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and John Collins added 18 for the Clippers, who trail .500 (34-35) but remain narrowly in eighth place in the Western Conference standings, a half-game ahead of the Trail Blazers.
Bay hit 5 of 10 3-pointers, helping New Orleans hit 16 of 37 (43.2%) from 3-point range. The Pelicans made 20 of 21 free throws, and Quinn made all 9 free throws.
Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fiers came off the bench to score 11 points.
Murphy hit his 200th three-pointer of the season late in the third quarter to give New Orleans an 89-81 lead. His fourth three-pointer in the final minute of the quarter made the score 94-81, and New Orleans ultimately led 96-85.
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Murphy’s double dunk over Brook Lopez ended a fast break spurred by a Herb Jones steal to give New Orleans a 117-101 lead with 4:43 left, and the Pelicans led by as many as 20 points in the final minutes.
New Orleans committed eight turnovers in the first nine minutes, and the Clippers turned those turnovers into nine points and a 33-18 lead.
Leonard scored 12 points in that game. The Clippers led by 18 points in the first quarter, and then the Pelicans relied on Murphy’s free throws to chase the score to 40-26.
At the end of the second quarter, Murphy hit a three-pointer and New Orleans tied the score at 58.
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In the last 10 seconds before halftime, Leonard and Murphy exchanged shots. Murphy made a shot in the crowd, tying the score at 60.
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The Clippers and Pelicans will play their second straight game Thursday night in New Orleans.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba