NEW ORLEANS (AP) Trey Murphy scored 31 points, CJ McCollum added 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans improved their chances of avoiding the round of play with a 113-105 win over the New York Knicks on Friday night. The Pelicans (42-39) will need to beat Minnesota on the road in their regular-season finale on Sunday and have a combination of Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers help them to climb higher than the seventh seed. They will also finish above 0.500 for the first time since 2017-18.
“It’s a tremendous blessing to have a track record,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “It’s hard to win in the NBA.”
The Knicks, seeded at No. 5 in the Eastern Conference playoffs, were without top scorer Julius Randle (ankle injury), second-top scorer Jalen Brunson (right hand) and center Mitchell Robinson (rest). The game started unfavorably as Herb Jones blocked RJ Barrett’s 3-point shot and Immanuel Quickley threw in a wild pass on their first two possessions, but they stayed on until the last two minutes.
Trailing 100-99, New Orleans finally took the lead on Jones’ drive for a layup, taking a 106-100 lead on McCollum’s 3-pointer with 3:22 left. After the Knicks closed to 106-103, Brandon lobbed Ingram with a hand to Jones in the corner for another 3 with 1:40 left.
“He (Ingram) makes some nice passes and this one was crazy,” McCollum said. “He’s smart and knows how to read the defense.”
Murphy, who had hit at least six 3s every time he scored 30 or more points over his two-year career, had 20 points in the first half despite sinking just one from long range. He finished 3 for 10 on 3s.
“We’re watching Trey grow up right before our eyes,” Green said. “He has a better understanding that when teams close against him, getting in the basket and finishing, pulling fouls or kicking it at teammates is a quick decision for him to make.”
Barrett led New York with 28 points. Quickley added 24 and hit six 3s, but the Knicks didn’t get enough stops, allowing the Pelicans to shoot 53.2 percent. Jones finished 7 of 7.
“I like the effort, I didn’t like our defense,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “We did a very good job offensively, took open shots and missed some really good shots. We were in one position until the end. We didn’t do enough to win but we put ourselves in a position to win and fell behind.”
TIP INS
Knicks: Obi Toppin started only for the fourth time this season, Isaiah Hartenstein started for the eighth time. New York’s five-game winning streak ended.
Pelicans: New Orleans executive vice president David Griffin said at Friday’s shootout that the earliest Zion Williamson would return would be in a first-round playoff series and would miss the last game of the regular season and all play-in games. Williamson has been out since January 2 with a hamstring injury. … New Orleans finished 27-14 at home, their best home record since 2014-15 when it went 28-13.
NEXT
Knicks: Host Indiana on Sunday to wrap up the regular season.
Pelicans: Sunday in Minnesota to wrap up the regular season.
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