Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson combined for 53 points as the New Orleans Pelicans earned their first winning road trip since last season, hanging on to beat the Chicago Bulls 119-113 and earning a sweep of the season series.
After beating the Philadelphia 76ers and narrowly losing to the Boston Celtics, the Pelicans closed their three-game East Coast swing with another solid performance, improving to 9-32 on the season.
Trey Murphy led all scorers with 32 points (12-12 FT), scoring 30 or more for the fourth time in his last seven games. He’s averaging 26.9 points per game during that stretch. He also posted six rebounds, four assists, three steals (including a key one to preserve the win), and one block.
Zion scored 21 points while dishing out nine assists, and grabbing seven rebounds, in just 24 minutes. Dejounte Murray (15 points) and Jose Alvarado (12 points, 4-8 3PA) also reached double figures for the Pelicans, who have won four of their last seven games.
Chicago was paced by the trio of Zach LaVine (25 points, seven rebounds), Nikola Vucevic (22 points, 15 boards), and Coby White (22 points). Josh Giddey (7 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists) and Lonzo Ball (11 points, eight rebounds, six assists) each flirted with triple-doubles.
Williamson closed the first quarter with a soaring putback dunk, to bring the Pelicans to within four, 29-33. The Pelicans dominated the offensive glass with 12 second-chance points in the opening frame.
In 12 first-half minutes, Zion scored 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists, and one blocked shot. The Pelicans were four points better than the Bulls with him on the floor.
New Orleans continued their run into the second quarter, opening with another dunk by Williamson and scoring the first seven points of the period on the way to a 36-33 lead. The rest of the first half followed a frustrating pattern, with the Pelicans surging with Zion on the court and trailing whenever he left. Chicago was able to close the half up 59-53.
With the Bulls sending more attention towards Zion, Williamson relied on his playmaking ability and Trey Murphy was the primary beneficiary. Murphy scored 11 points in the third quarter by knocking down a pair of three-pointers and getting to the rim (and free throw line) repeatedly.
Murphy extended his streak of games with at least two three-pointers to 30, dating back to Apr. 7 of last season.
New Orleans got enough going offensively to outscore Chicago 33-27 in the period, tying the score at 86 each as they headed into the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans opened the final frame on a 12-4 run sparked by Williamson’s return to the court. Williamson scored the first points of the period off a feed from Daniel Theis, who continues to make contributions off the bench and he closed the run with back-to-back assists to Jose Alvarado for three-pointers.
With Zion setting the tone, the Pelicans found their second win and began to pour it on. When he checked back in with just under four minutes to play, New Orleans led by 14.
Chicago was able to make one final charge, cutting the lead to four on a Zach LaVine three-pointer with 33.1 seconds on the clock. The Bulls had a chance to get even closer, but Coby White’s triple clanged off the rim and Murphy was able to steal an errant pass by Ball and ice it at the free throw line.
The Pelicans will return to the Smoothie King Center on a quick turnaround to face the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night to start a four-game home stand.
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