NEW ORLEANS — – Brandon Ingram scored 33 points, iced the game with a baseline turnaround jumper with 1:46 to go, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame Zion Williamson’s absence to beat the Chicago Bulls 123-111 on Wednesday night in the match of both clubs. season opener.

CJ McCollum scored 23 for New Orleans and newly acquired point guard Dejounte Murray had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Williamson was ruled out due to an illness shortly before the game, marking his 207th missed regular-season game since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2019.

Zach LaVine scored 27 points and Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who trailed for most of the second half and by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Jalen Smith scored 15 points and Josh Giddey added 14 points for Chicago.

Jordan Hawkins scored 13 for the Pelicans.

Takeaways

New Orleans may be able to rely more on their first-round pick, seven-footer Yves Missi, than initially thought. Missi was considered too raw to play significant minutes early this season when he was drafted 21st overall out of Baylor in June. But missing their best front-court player in Williamson, the Pelicans played Missi for 23 minutes and he was effective, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and a steal.

When Missi walked to the bench with 4:20 left, he received a standing ovation.

Key moment

Ingram’s third 3 of the game gave the Pelicans a 107-92 lead and capped a crucial 13-2 run in which Ingram scored eight points, including another 3 and two free throws.

Key stat

Chicago turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 30 Pelicans points. LeVine committed seven turnovers, hurting an otherwise productive performance on the offensive end.

Next

The Bulls visit Milwaukee on Friday, the same day the Pelicans open a four-game trip in Portland.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba