Pelicans (29-26), Nets (19-38)
BROOKLYN – A 28-point third-quarter lead evaporated and there were numerous harrowing moments Saturday evening in Barclays Center, but New Orleans eventually prevailed after 58 minutes of basketball. The Pelicans will take it. After a frustrating loss Friday in Philadelphia and a bad stretch since DeMarcus Cousins was sidelined with a season-ending injury, New Orleans was relieved to outlast upset-minded Brooklyn and a monster second-half rally. The Pelicans dominated the second overtime period by a 14-4 margin.
New Orleans went up 89-61 at the exact midway point of the third period, but the Nets leaned heavily on the three-point shot to fire their way back into the game. Brooklyn attempted a whopping 59 three-pointers, making 21 of them. The Nets were 11/23 in the second half, outscoring the Pelicans by a 64-44 margin after trailing 72-52 at intermission.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Anthony Davis sank a turnaround jumper from the left side, giving New Orleans a nine-point lead with 1:18 remaining in double overtime. Davis punctuated the play by giving a youngster who was wearing a Davis jersey a high-five in the second row of seats at Barclays Center.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Davis has twice put up All-NBA numbers in the Big Apple over the past 30 days. In mid-January, Davis rang up 48 points at Madison Square Garden, in a come-from-behind victory for the Pelicans. At Barclays Center, the sixth-year pro registered 44 points and 17 rebounds. He also came up with six steals and three blocks on the defensive end.
Meanwhile, Rajon Rondo mustered a triple-double, setting the tone for a high-powered New Orleans offensive attack by finding open shooters all game. In his return to the starting five after one game coming off the bench, the veteran point guard scored a season-high 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 12 assists.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“We kept our composure. We stayed poised. Coming off a back-to-back, playing a lot of minutes for guys like Jrue (Holiday) and (Davis), we kept our poise and made big plays down the stretch.” – Rondo on New Orleans being able to eventually win despite the roller-coaster momentum
“He was aggressive. He was just looking for his shot, getting layups. And then he made them pay for trying to foul him at the end. He played well, made the right plays. Then having whatever (injury) that it was with his shoulder, coming back and helping us get that win.” – Davis on Rondo’s performance
“We knew their strength was the three-point shot. The only way they could come back in the game was making threes. They did. They made some really tough shots in the second half. It was a really tough game, emotionally too. We found a way to win that game. It was really important for us.” – Nikola Mirotic (21 points, 16 rebounds) on the win
“We know they live by the three, die by the three. They were missing a lot (early). Then they were able to get hot, especially Allen Crabbe. That’s how they get back in games. We just wanted to keep fighting. Keep doing what we did to get the lead.” – Davis on Brooklyn’s extreme reliance on three-point shots
BY THE NUMBERS
49.1: New Orleans shooting percentage from the field. A night after an abysmal outing in Philadelphia, the starters all shot over or close to 50 percent, led by Rondo’s 11/16 game.
70-38: New Orleans advantage in points in the paint, enough to counteract the Brooklyn 63-27 edge in points scored from made three-pointers.
21/22: Brooklyn foul shooting. The Nets had a big edge in accuracy, with the Pelicans going just 25/39 (64 percent).