FILE PHOTO Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at Moda Center on March 18, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Brandon Ingram scored 29 points, Zion Williamson added 23 and the visiting New Orleans Pelicans raced to a 22-point halftime lead and routed the Orlando Magic 135-100 on Thursday night.
Ingram made 11 of 17 field-goal attempts and Williamson sank 9 of 12 as the Pelicans (26-33) ended a four-game losing streak.
Willy Hernangomez had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Eric Bledsoe added 15 points for New Orleans, making 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Steven Adams had 12 points and nine rebounds before sitting out the second half to rest a sore ankle, and Jaxson Hayes scored 10.
Mo Bamba had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Devin Cannady scored 17 and Cole Anthony had 14 points for the Magic (18-41), who lost for the 10th time in 11 games. Gary Harris contributed 11 points while R.J. Hampton 10 and Chasson Randle had 10 each.
New Orleans led by just two points after the first quarter but outscored Orlando 45-25 in the second quarter to take a 74-52 halftime lead. The Pelicans matched their highest first-half point total of the season.
Williamson, Ingram, Bledsoe and Adams had combined for 71 points when Lonzo Ball became the fifth New Orleans starter to score, hitting a 3-pointer for an 88-59 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Pelicans led by as many as 42 points before holding a 108-70 edge at the end of the third quarter.
Ingram made five of his first eight shots and had 12 points as the Pelicans opened a 27-19 lead.
The Magic scored the next eight points to pull even before Williamson’s driving layup with 1.2 seconds left gave New Orleans a 29-27 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Orlando took a pair of one-point leads before a 9-0 run gave the Pelicans a 40-32 edge.
New Orleans kept expanding the lead, and Williamson’s dunk with 3.7 seconds left gave the Pelicans their biggest lead of the first half heading into halftime.
Overall, the Pelicans made 55.6 percent of their shots while the Magic made 36.7 percent.
–Field Level Media