FILE–Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double as the host New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Atlanta Hawks 116-107 on Tuesday night.
Valanciunas finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, CJ McCollum scored 21, Trey Murphy III had 16 and Herbert Jones Jr. had 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Pelicans won their third straight after a 10-game losing streak.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 22 points to lead the Hawks. Dejounte Murray had 19, Trae Young had 16 points and 16 assists, John Collins scored 15 and Clint Capela added 13.
New Orleans outscored Atlanta 56-40 on points in the paint and 17-8 on fast-break points.
The Pelicans split the season series with the Hawks, who prevailed 124-121 in overtime on Nov. 5 in Atlanta.
"I'm able to score the basketball, but I'm also able to look for the best shot on the floor. That helps me out a lot."
-B.I. on coming back from injury pic.twitter.com/1hWZaI6msk
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 8, 2023
The Pelicans opened an eight-point lead three times early in the third quarter, but the Hawks scored seven straight points to close within 73-72.
New Orleans increased the lead to 13 on a 3-pointer by Jose Alvarado before settling for a 91-81 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Valanciunas made a layup and McCollum followed with a 3-pointer to start the fourth-quarter scoring and give the Pelicans a 15-point lead.
Atlanta closed within eight points three times, but Ingram answered with a jumper and McCollum and Murphy made consecutive 3-pointers for a 108-92 lead with 5:13 remaining.
The Hawks pulled within 113-107 when Young made a 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining, but Jones made two free throws to ice it.
Ingram made his first two shots and the Pelicans took a 12-2 lead as the Hawks started cold from the floor.
But that changed quickly as Atlanta scored 33 points in the final 8:08 to take a 35-33 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Hawks led by four points on three occasions early in the second quarter before New Orleans tied the score three times.
The Pelicans went up by as many as four and Atlanta tied the score twice before McCollum’s 3-pointer gave New Orleans a 62-59 halftime lead.