CHARLOTTE (AP) – LaMelo Ball overcame an early head-to-head collision with coach Charles Lee to score 24 points, and the surging Charlotte Hornets fought back from a 22-point deficit to beat the Pelicans, 102-95, on Monday afternoon (Feb. 2).
Trey Murphy III scored 27 points to lead the Pelicans, who have lost six of their last nine. Zion Williamson finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Derik Queen had 16 points.
New Orleans took a 64-49 lead into halftime, then managed only 31 points in the second half, scoring 18 in the third quarter and only 13 in the fourth.
It was the Hornets’ seventh straight victory.
Kon Knueppel added 17 points for Charlotte, hitting four 3s, and Brandon Miller and Grant Williams each scored 16 as the Hornets pulled within a half-game of the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hornets overcame 17 turnovers while matching their longest winning streak since March 2016.
Ball left the game briefly in the first quarter with an eye laceration after banging heads with Lee as Ball was trying to save an errant pass from going out of bounds.
He returned a few minutes later and scored 18 points on three 3s in the first half, but the Hornets still found themselves trailing 64-49 at the break after shooting 7 of 30 from beyond 3-point range and committing 10 turnovers.
Charlotte stormed back to take the lead in the fourth quarter on a blow-by drive and two-handed dunk by Ball.
The Hornets later pushed the lead to nine when Miller, the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, picked Herbert Jones’ pocket at midcourt and raced in for a soaring one-handed dunk.
The Pelicans continue their three-game road trip Wednesday with a 7 p.m. game in Milwaukee.
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