National Basketball Association

Pelicans rally past Suns after Devin Booker injury

Updated Apr. 20, 2022 12:47 a.m. ET

Brandon Ingram scored 37 points, CJ McCollum added 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the top-seeded Phoenix Suns 125-114 on Tuesday night in Game 2, evening the series in their Western Conference first-round matchup.

Not only did the Suns lose the game, but they’re unsure about the health status of All-Star guard Devin Booker, who was spectacular in the first half with 31 points before leaving with right hamstring tightness in the third quarter.

The Suns — who led the NBA with a franchise-record 64 wins during the regular season — trailed 77-74 when he departed.

Phoenix kept the game close without its leading scorer and even took a lead early in the fourth, but the Pelicans rallied, getting big 3s from Jose Alvarado, Ingram and McCollum to take an advantage they wouldn’t relinquish.

Ingram added tough back-to-back jumpers in the closing minutes to keep a final Suns rally at bay. New Orleans earned its first playoff win since 2018.

Ingram finished 13 of 21 shooting from the field.

Game 3 is on Friday in New Orleans.

The Pelicans admitted they were a little surprised by the intensity of their Game 1 loss, especially during the first half when they fell into a 19-point halftime hole. They didn’t make the same mistake on Tuesday, taking a 30-28 lead after one quarter.

The Suns rallied for a 61-56 halftime advantage thanks to Booker scoring spree. He scored all of his 31 in the first half on 12 of 18 shooting, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range. He hit a 30-footer just before the halftime buzzer after the Pelicans inexplicably left him open.

Booker left the game and went to the locker room late in the third quarter. On the possession before he departed, he jumped to contest a fast-break shot by New Orleans, but it wasn’t immediately clear that he was hurt.

He returned at the beginning of the fourth quarter wearing warmups and never re-entered the game. Booker missed multiple games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury.

Reporting by the Associated Press.