Zion Williamson scores 34 points as the Pelicans push past the Pacers

Zion Williamson scored 34 points and dished out 10 assists, Brandon Ingram scored 26 points and the undermanned New Orleans Pelicans defeated the visiting Indiana Pacers 125-118 on Friday night.

Jordan Hawkins scored 23, Brandon Boston Jr. 14 and Jose Alvarado 12 for the Pelicans, who played without four of their top players – Dejounte Murray (hand surgery), CJ McCollum (adductor), Herbert Jones (shoulder) and Trey Murphy III (hamstring).

Indiana's Ben Sheppard scored 20 points, Bennedict Mathurin had 19, Pascal Siakam 16, Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner each had 12 and TJ McConnell had 10. Tyrese Haliburton recorded 11 points and 11 assists as the Pacers lost for the fourth time in five games.

Alvarado scored four points during a 10-2 run early in the third quarter as the Pelicans took a 72-64 lead after being tied at halftime.

Sheppard's 3-pointer got the Pacers tied at 78, but Boston made two 3-pointers and Hawkins had a 3-pointer and a three-point play to put New Orleans within one at the end of the third quarter 95-89 lead.

Indiana got within 100 on two free throws from Mathurin early in the fourth quarter. Williamson's basket put the Pelicans back on top, but Siakam's 3-pointer gave the Pacers a 105-104 lead.

Williamson's three-point play gave New Orleans a 112-105 lead with 4:26 left. Indiana trailed by a point with two minutes left, but baskets from Williamson and Hawkins netted a three-pointer from Mathurin.

New Orleans' Yves Missi made a layup for a six-point lead with 51.6 seconds left, and the Pelicans ended a three-game losing streak.

Four Pacers scored as the visitors took an 11-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. Four Pelicans scored during a 10-0 run that gave New Orleans a one-point lead.

The lead changed eleven times in the first quarter and the score was tied three times, most recently 35:35 at the end of the quarter.

The Pacers started the second quarter brilliantly and took a 53-40 lead. They were up by 13 points a second time before New Orleans scored 11 straight points.

A basket from Siakam ended the run before the Pelicans scored six straight goals. Indiana came to halftime tied at 62.

–Field level media