Sports

Jaren Jackson Jr. scores 29 points in the Grizzlies’ 139-126 victory over the Pelicans

Jaren Jackson Jr. scores 29 points in the Grizzlies’ 139-126 victory over the Pelicans

Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) shoots ahead of New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
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Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) shoots ahead of New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
By  CLAY BAILEY
Updated 3:42 AM UTC, January 25, 2025
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 15 of his 29 points in the third quarter, Desmond Bane had 20 points and 14 assists and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the New Orleans Pelicans 139-126 on Friday night.

Luke Kennard added 27 points, making 7 of 9 3-pointers and 10 of 14 overall shots from the field, to help Memphis win its fifth straight.

Dejounte Murray led the Pelicans with 26 points. Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum each had 22, and Jordan Hawkins added 20.

The Pelicans relied heavily on their backcourt for a 71-62 halftime lead, with Murray scoring 17 points and McCollum adding 15.

The game had the potential of highlighting the top two picks in the 2019 NBA draft — Zion Williamson, the No. 1 pick for the Pelicans, and Ja Morant, picked second by the Grizzlies. However, neither was available with Williamson still ramping up conditioning, and Morant recovering from an illness.

Takeaways

Pelicans: New Orleans’ backcourt of Murray and McCollum shot well in the first half to help the Pelicans take the lead, but they could not hold on in the second half.

Grizzlies: Memphis outscored New Orleans 77-55 in the second half.

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Key moment

New Orleans pulled within six points early in the fourth, but Memphis went on a 15-5 run to grab its largest lead of the game at that point with 5:25 left.

Key stat

Kennard has made 14 of 20 3-pointers over his last two games.

Up next

Both teams play the second night of back-to-backs Saturday. New Orleans is at Charlotte, and Memphis hosts Utah.

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