LOUISIANA – New Orleans Pelicans used a huge second half assault to defeat Phoenix Suns, 118-103, in Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference first round series on Sunday night (Monday in the Philippines) at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Brandon Ingram led the way with 30 points, while Jonas Valanciunas contributed double-double 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Pelicans tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
CJ McCollum also made his presence felt with 18 points and nine rebounds, while rookie Herbert Jones had an all-around game of 13 points, three assists, three blocks, two rebounds and two steals for NO.
From a 53-all count early in the third quarter, the Pelicans made a strong push behind Ingram, Valanciunas, McCollum and Jaxson Hayes to build an 84-74 lead.
The Suns kept the match close at 85-89 but seven straight points from Valanciunas ignited the Pelicans finishing run to build its largest lead at 109-81 on a layup by Jones.
DeAndre Ayton led the Suns with 23 points and eight rebounds, JaVale McGee had a perfect 7-of-7 shooting for 14 points, while Cameron Johnson and Jae Crowder had 13 and 11, respectively.
Denver Nuggets staved off elimination with a come-from-behind 126-121 victory over Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of their series at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
After Stephen Curry nailed a long jumper to give Golden State a 121-119 lead with 1:21 to play, Nikola Jokić made a layup to tie the score for the Nuggets.
Monte Morris then nailed a go-ahead jumper with 33 seconds to give Denver a 123-121 lead before Will Barton sealed the win with a triple from a steal by Austin Rivers.
Jokić finished the game with 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Morris had 24 points and Aaron Gordon added 21 markers for Denver, which trimmed the series deficit to 1-3.
Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, meanwhile, surged to 3-1 lead in their respective East series after defeating Chicago Bulls (119-95) and Atlanta Hawks (110-86), respectively.
BOX SCORE:
NEW ORLEANS 118 — Ingram 30, Valanciunas 26, McCollum 15, Jones 13, Graham 8, Nance 6, Marshall 6, Alvarado 5, Hayes 2, Hernangómez 2, Murphy 2, Temple 0.
PHOENIX 103 — Ayton 23, McGee 14, Johnson 13, Crowder 11, Bridges 8, Payne 8, Holiday 7, Shamet 7, Craig 6, Paul 4, Payton 2, Biyombo 0, Wainwright 0.
Quarterscores: 25-22, 49-51, 84-74, 118-103./PN
