Pacers work OT to knock off Pelicans
FILE — Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers drives the ball around Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on January 04, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chris Graythen/Getty Images/AFP
Victor Oladipo scored 25 points and Malcolm Brogdon scoring the winning basket with 3.6 seconds left in overtime as the visiting Indiana Pacers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 118-116 on Monday night.
Lonzo Ball’s layup after a steal by Steven Adams had pulled the Pelicans even with 25 seconds left, but the Pacers cleared out for Brogdon, who drove into the lane and lofted a 12-foot floater for the winning points to finish with 21 points and 11 assists.
Domantas Sabonis added 19 points and 11 rebounds, Myles Turner scored 17 and Doug McDermott had 11.
Brandon Ingram scored 31 points, Zion Williamson had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Ball scored 18 points, Eric Bledsoe had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Adams scored 10 for the Pelicans.
New Orleans led by 10 points with a little more than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but went cold.
Oladipo made two free throws, Brogdon made a layup and Oladipo made a 3-pointer to make it a three-point deficit with 20 seconds left.
The Pacers trapped Ball in the backcourt, Oladipo stole the ball and Turner made a 3-pointer to tie the score with eight seconds left.
The Pacers led by two points at halftime, but Williamson scored eight points during a 12-3 run that gave New Orleans a 63-56 lead.
Back-to-back baskets by Sabonis helped give Indiana a 71-70 lead, but Ingram answered with back-to-back baskets of his own.
Josh Hart’s three-point play gave New Orleans a six-point lead, but Brogdon and Justin Holiday made back-to-back 3-pointers as the Pacers scored eight straight to grab a 79-77 lead at the end of the quarter.
Indiana carried the hot-shooting into the fourth quarter. Brogdon and McDermott each made a 3-pointer and the Pacers opened an 89-82 lead.
Then it was the Pelicans’ turn to start making 3-pointers. Nickeill Alexander-Walker made one and Ball made two during a 21-5 run that gave New Orleans a 104-94 lead. Williamson and Ingram converted three-point plays during that stretch.
Turner’s basket ended the run, but Ingram made two free throws for a 106-96 lead with 2:22 left.
