C.J. McCollum scored a season-high 30 points while reserves Larry Nance Jr. and Jose Alvarado made key contributions to spark New Orleans over Memphis 113-102 in an NBA game Tuesday.

McCollum made 11-of-23 shots from the floor, 7-of-13 from 3-point range, and passed off nine assists as the Pelicans improved to 8-6, just behind Memphis (9-6) in the Western Conference.

"I just tried to be aggressive, take advantage of the opportunities," said McCollum, who had 22 points in the second half. "I've been in the gym a lot trying to work on my fundamentals and my shot discipline and tonight it carried over.

"I've been getting a lot of great looks all season, haven't been knocking them down. I just wanted to focus on the work and it paid off."

Ja Morant scored a game-high 36 points to lead Memphis, but it was when he went to the bench late in the third quarter, with the Grizzlies leading 86-85, that the Pelicans seized command.

New Orleans went on a 15-5 run with Morant resting and stretched the spurt to 19-5 for a 104-91 edge with 6:12 remaining, Alvarado scoring five in the run and Nance and McCollum each adding four.

Nance finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots while Alvarado had 12 points and six assists.

The Pelicans, among the NBA's worst 3-point shooting clubs, went 18-of-38 from beyond the arc, helped by direction from coach Willie Green and confident drives to the hoop to draw in defenders and set up passes to the outside when no shot develops.

"Coach put an emphasis on the early easy pass, making sure guys had a shot ready," McCollum said. "Guys have been in the gym a lot working on catch and shoot threes and tonight we shot them.

"All the times we force our way into the paint we've got to trust our judgment. It's a credit to the guys making the right pass and making the right play."