Luke Kennard scored a season-high 27 points (21 on 7 3-pointers), and the Memphis Grizzlies went on a 25-7 run in the third quarter to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 139-126 for their fifth straight win.
The Pelicans went on a 20-5 run to lead 76-65 with 11:08 left in the third quarter. Desmond Bane’s 3-pointer put the Grizzlies ahead for good with 7:17 left in the quarter. Kennard scored 8 points and Bane added 7 during the run. The Grizzlies led 90-83 with 6:18 left in the quarter and by as many as 18 in the fourth quarter.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 29 points (15 in the third quarter) and 7 assists, and Bane added 20 points and 14 assists. The Grizzlies had 3 20-point scorers and 7 players in double-digit scoring.
For the Pelicans, Dejounte Murray had 26 points and 7 assists, and Trey Murphy III added 22 points. CJ McCollum scored 22 points. Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points off the bench. The Pelicans had 4 20-point scorers.
The Pelicans gave up 16 offensive rebounds, about 4 more than usual for the shots the Grizzlies missed. The Grizzlies outscored the Pelicans 66-44 in the paint. The Grizzlies’ starters outscored the Pelicans 48-27 in 11 minutes together.