Welcome back: Brandon Ingram missed 5 games with a right calf injury, while Herb Jones missed 18 games with a right shoulder strain.
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 29 points in his return from a five-game absence, Herb Jones capped off his first game back from a shoulder injury by blocking Devin Booker’s last-second shot, and the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 126-124 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
CJ McCollum scored 25 points, but missed a free throw with 3 seconds left, allowing the Suns a final shot for the win or tie. When Booker, who had 28 points, received an inbound pass at the 3-point line, he rose for a shot and had the ball swatted away by Jones, who hadn’t played in 18 games.
Jones had one of this four steals with 2:02 left and made a left corner 3 about 13 seconds later to give New Orleans a 121-117 lead. He finished with 12 points.
“He’s our defensive captain,” Pelicans’ coach Willie Green said before the game. “Herb’s one of those guys — he just puts out fires when he’s on the floor.”
Trey Murphy scored 19 points, Dejounte Murray scored 17 and rookie center Yves Missi had 12 rebounds for the Pelicans,
Bradley Beal scored 24 points for Phoenix.
