Williamson powers New Orleans past Utah

2021-03-02 HKT 11:54″ title=”Nikola Jokic (in white) continued his strong season by dropping 39 points on Chicago. Photo: Reuters”>

Nikola Jokic (in white) continued his strong season by dropping 39 points on Chicago. Photo: Reuters

The New Orleans Pelicans fended off a valiant comeback effort from Utah to knock off the team with the best record in the NBA, 129-124.

First-time All-Star Zion Williamson scored 15 of his 26 points in the third quarter as the Pelicans exploded for 40 points in the frame, outscoring the Jazz by 16.

But Utah cut a 17-point deficit with less than 10 minutes left to one in the final minute.

Williamson, a 70 percent free-throw shooter for the season, was fouled and then sank both of his free throws to help his team to victory.

Brandon Ingram also scored 26 for New Orleans, who got 23 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds from Lonzo Ball.

Elsewhere, Nikola Jokic scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter to fuel the visiting Denver Nuggets to a 118-112 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Jokic also had 14 rebounds and nine assists to fall just shy of his ninth triple-double of the season and second in as many games.

Denver have now won the first two of their five-game road trip and four of six overall, after earlier dropping six of seven away from home.

In Philadelphia, reserves Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz combined for 45 points — including nine three-pointers — as they sparked a second-quarter run in the 76ers’ 130-114 rout of Indiana.

The Sixers bench scored 26 of the team’s 39 points in the second quarter as they led by 17 at halftime.

“The ball was hopping,” Milton said. “Everybody was getting a feel for it.”

Philadelphia bounced back from one of their worst losses of the season to struggling Cleveland to retain top spot in the East.

They’re only half a game ahead of Brooklyn, who sank four three-pointers in overtime to beat San Antonio 124-113.

James Harden and Kyrie Irving scored 30 and 27 for Brooklyn as the stars combined for 11 of the Nets’ 16 points in the extra session.

The Spurs’ Dejonte Murray had tied the game with a buzzer-beating jumper in regulation. He finished with 19 points.

In Orlando, Luka Doncic finished one assist shy of a triple-double to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Magic, 130-124. The Mavs superstar had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, and Jalen Brunson scored 24 off the bench. (Reuters, AP)