NBA: Trey Murphy III scores 34 points as Pelicans rally past Nets

Trey Murphy III scored a game-high 34 points, while Saddiq Bey made two crucial plays in the final minute to lift the New Orleans Pelicans past the Brooklyn Nets 116-113 on Wednesday night.

It was just New Orleans’ second win since Christmas. Brooklyn has now dropped five straight games and eight of its last nine.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 20 points but missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer. Five other Nets players scored in double figures, including rookie point guard Egor Demin, who made five three-pointers and finished with 17 points.

Zion Williamson added 25 points for the Pelicans, scoring 14 in the third quarter to keep his team close. Yves Missi recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The game remained tight in the closing minutes. Murphy’s reverse layup tied the score at 107 with 1:47 left in the fourth. Demin responded with a three-pointer to give Brooklyn the lead, but Bey sank a long three on the next Pelicans possession.

With 21.1 seconds remaining, Bey grabbed an offensive rebound and slammed it home for a 112-110 lead. Murphy then made two free throws after a foul by Nic Claxton. Brooklyn’s Drake Powell answered with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 114-113, but Bey closed the game with two more free throws. A last-second shot by Porter Jr. at the buzzer missed, sealing the Pelicans’ win.

Brooklyn had led by as many as 12 points in the first half before New Orleans rallied to trail 55-54 at halftime.

—Field Level Media/Reuters