Late-game heroics from an unlikely pair, Jose Alvarado and Keion Brooks Jr. helped the New Orleans Pelicans survive with a 98-94 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Trailing by a single point with 31.1 seconds remaining, Alvarado drove into the lane and made a reverse layup as he was fouled. He stepped to the line cool, calm and collected, and swished the free throw putting New Orleans on top 96-94.
On the next possession, DaQuan Jeffries attempted a questionable inbounds pass across the court to KJ Simpson, but his pass sailed out of bounds. Alvarado then made his way into the paint once again, dumping off a pass for a Brooks lay-in to seal the Pelicans’ W’.
Brooks scored 17 points to lead a balanced scoring effort for the Pelicans (21-54), while Antonio Reeves scored 16. Kelly Olynyk had 13 points, Alvarado and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 12 apiece, and Karlo Matkovic added 10.
The Pelicans played without head coach Willie Green, who missed the game because of personal reasons. Assistant James Borrego, a former Charlotte head coach, took his place.
Miles Bridges scored a game-high 20 points for the Hornets (18-56), Nick Smith Jr. had 19 and big man Jusuf Nurkic added a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte, who lost their fifth straight game.
Reeves was hit from downtown, making three consecutive 3-pointers to start the Pelicans’ third-quarter scoring and pull them within two, 54-52. Nurkic scored seven points to help the Hornets extend the lead to double figures. Brooks scored five points, including a 3-pointer that pulled New Orleans within one, but Charlotte extended the lead to five.
Lester Quinones buried a triple, and Brooks converted a three-point play for the Pelicans to take a three-point lead before Wendell Moore Jr. beat the end of the quarter buzzer with a tip-in that pulled the Hornets within 74-73 at the end of the third.
Charlotte knotted the score twice before Yves Missi made a layup and Reeves followed with a 3-pointer to give New Orleans an 86-81 advantage. Simpson responded with a 3-pointer and the Hornets got within one on three occasions before Smith hit a long 3-pointer to give Charlotte a 94-93 lead with 40 seconds remaining on the clock.
Bridges scored seven points, nine teammates scored two each and Charlotte led 25-21 at the end of the first quarter.
The Pelicans scored the first five points of the second quarter to take their only lead of the half. Bridges put up five points during a 15-4 surge that gave the Hornets a 40-30 lead. They extended the lead to a high of 13 points before taking a nine-point lead, 52-43, into the locker room.
The Hornets host the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
The Pelicans travel to the ‘City of Angels’ and take on James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
