The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the New York Knicks, 96-87, at Smoothie King Center on Saturday.

The Pelicans (2-0) remain perfect and delivered another strong performance on the offensive side of the ball, while the Knicks (1-2) were quite poor once again and struggled to get things offensively. New Orleans jumped to a 26-12 lead in the first quarter and never looked back since then. The Knicks showed some signs of life in the second quarter, but the Pelicans extended their lead even further and were up by 18 points at halftime (55-37). The Knicks outscored the Pels in the second half, mainly after a 31-22 score in the third quarter, but the game was already decided by the time the fourth quarter started. The Pelicans rested their starters in the final minutes and closed the game with ease.

Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson paced the Pelicans in this win and both combined for 50 points. Ingram finished with a game-high 26 points, while Williamson posted 24 points. Ingram also added seven rebounds and three assists. CJ McCollum delivered 12 points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds. Herbert Jones finished with 10 points. The Pelicans shot 46 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three-point range.

Only four New York players scored in double digits. RJ Barrett was the team-leading scorer with 18 points, three rebounds and two assists. Jalen Brunson had another subpar outing in terms of efficiency (4-14 FG, 1-5 3Pt), but he posted 14 points. Mitchell Robinson ended with eight points and 15 rebounds. Julius Randle had another double-double after notching 10 points and 12 boards.