With Brandon Ingram finding holes in Phoenix’s elite defense, Jose Alvarado drawing an eight-second violation against the Suns’ elite point guard and Herbert Jones swatting everything that showed up on his defensive radar, eighth-seeded New Orleans stood toe-to-toe against the Western Conference’s top seed Sunday for three quarters, then put them away in the fourth.
The Pelicans evened their series against the Suns, powered by a second straight games of 30-plus points by Ingram. Alvarado was a menace on defense in the backcourt, while Jones managed to block multiple three-point shots by Phoenix.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Alvarado capped a big surge by New Orleans by driving to the basket and getting fouled, sinking two free throws for a 101-85 lead midway through the fourth quarter.