FILE – Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans controls the ball against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Toyota Center on March 17, 2023 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP
Brandon Ingram scored 32 points to lead five New Orleans players in double figures as the host Pelicans routed the short-handed San Antonio Spurs 119-84 on Tuesday night.
Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 15 rebounds, Trey Murphy III scored 17 points, CJ McCollum had 15 and former Spur Josh Richardson had 10 as the Pelicans (35-37) completed a four-game sweep of the season series.
Ingram made all 10 of his free throws and 10 of 16 field-goal attempts as New Orleans shot 55.6 percent (45 of 81) from the floor.
go to work B.I. 👷♂️
(@treymurphy seemed to like it too) pic.twitter.com/vN5zK4EEXH
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 22, 2023
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 20 points, former Pelican Devonte’ Graham and Tre Jones added 15 each and Keita Bates-Diop had 12. The Spurs (19-53) played without leading scorer Keldon Johnson (neck), second-leading scorer Devin Vassell (knee) and leading rebounder Zach Collins (rest).
The Pelicans scored the first six points of the third quarter to take a 70-39 lead.
The Spurs trimmed the deficit to 22 points twice in the period before New Orleans rebuilt it to 31 and held a 91-65 lead at the end of the quarter.
ANOTHA ONE 🗣 pic.twitter.com/KFz6ohGNFA
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 22, 2023
The Spurs held their last lead at 14-13 after Mamukelashvili’s 3-pointer with 6:58 left in the first quarter. That also was their last field goal of the period.
Ingram and McCollum scored four points each during a 10-0 Pelicans run before Graham made two free throws to end San Antonio’s 5 1/2-minute scoring drought.
Four free throws by Ingram concluded the quarter’s scoring and left New Orleans with a 27-16 lead at the end of the period.
Valanciunas had four points as the Pelicans began the second quarter with a 10-2 run that gave them a 19-point cushion.
Jones scored seven points to help the Spurs close within 12 before Richardson made two 3-pointers to help New Orleans open a 22-point lead.
Graham converted a three-point play and made a 3-pointer to help San Antonio get within 15 before the Pelicans scored the last 10 points of the first and expanded the lead to 64-39 entering halftime.