NEW ORLEANS — — Brandon Ingram scored 19 of his 34 points in New Orleans’ franchise-record 48-point first quarter, and the Pelicans beat the Indiana Pacers 129-102 Friday night to share a round trip set.
After a 123-114 loss at Indianapolis on Wednesday night, the Pelicans were 20 of 22 from the field in the first quarter to take a 48-26 lead.
“I don’t know how to describe it,” Ingram said. “I (saw) shots coming in, and I kept shooting. It felt good to come out of my fingertips. I had some space to operate a bit and got to my mid-range. I just felt good with the ball in my hand.
The 90.9% shooting percentage was the highest field goal percentage of any team in a quarter this season and the highest percentage in a first quarter of no no matter which team since Dallas shot 94% in a 2014 game against Utah.
“BI was unbelievable,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “It was just fun to see him play with that strength, with that pace, with the confidence that he had on the court. His teammates all rallied behind him. Collectively, it was a great bounce-back game for us… go home, get some rest and get this win.
Trey Murphy III added 28 points, hitting 6 of 12 3-pointers, another solid shooting performance after a string of mediocre offensive outings since the All-Star break.
“It’s just knowing that I’m a complete basketball player,” Murphy said. “I don’t want to be a one-trick pony. I want to make sure I have a lot of different facets to my game. I knew (my shot) was going to come back eventually. You do the work and trust your work, and you will get to where you are meant to be.
Ingram, who also had seven assists, sparked the first frenzy with 9 of 11 shooting. Murphy made a 25-footer from the left wing early in the second to make it 57-26.
Just as Indiana set the tone in its win Wednesday night by taking a 40-24 lead in the first quarter, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle pointed out that the Pelicans’ 48 first-half points were a mountain too high to be overcome.
“The Pelicans put up historic numbers and we didn’t get a defensive rebound (in the first quarter),” Carlisle said. “I haven’t heard of this.”
After being outscored 50-40 by the Pacers on Wednesday, New Orleans held a 47-43 lead at the stripe on Friday, including an 11-2 lead in the first quarter.
In addition to their hot shooting, the Pelicans played suffocating defense against the NBA’s highest-scoring team, limiting the Pacers to 42.6 percent shooting and 21 points below their average of 123 points per game.
Pelicans defensive specialist Herb Jones neutralized Tyrese Haliburton, keeping the All-Star guard scoreless for the first time since November 2021. Haliburton was 0 of 7 from the field in 23 minutes.
“It’s Herb Jones,” Ingram said. “He told me he didn’t want me to change at all today. He wanted to keep his match. He took it personally. Much credit to him and his defense.
Isaiah Jackson and Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 13 points each. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner had 12 each.
Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans, and CJ McCollum added 14 points.
The Pacers held New Orleans scoreless for more than five minutes during a 23-3 second-half run that cut the deficit to 60-49. But the Pelicans regained their footing with a 17-7 run to close the quarter, capped by Murphy’s deep 3 at the buzzer for a 77-56 lead. Murphy had 17 of his 23 first-half points in the second quarter, going 4 of 7 from long range.
Green said he liked the way the Pelicans bounced back from Wednesday’s loss in which the Pelicans appeared tired after arriving in Indianapolis at 7:30 a.m. on game day due to mechanical issues with their charter plane.
“We have some competition on this team,” Green said. “We didn’t get off to a good start (Wednesday) and the guys were a little tired. We wanted to go home, rest and we knew we could pursue them. That’s what we did tonight.
FOLLOWING
Pacers: At San Antonio Sunday night.
Pelicans: At Toronto Tuesday night.
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