Postgame wrap: Pelicans 110, Thunder 106

Across the board, almost nothing was going right for New Orleans early in Wednesday’s visit to Oklahoma City, but a total reversal led to one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history. The Pelicans prevailed despite starting the night at 1/21 from three-point range and rapidly falling behind the Thunder, trailing by 19 points through a quarter and 22 early in the second period. After Oklahoma City surged late, it set up a dramatic final minute, a common occurrence in NOLA’s trips to the Sooner State. CJ McCollum sank a huge three-pointer to give the Pelicans a four-point lead with 1:27 remaining, then iced the victory with a pair of free throws at :00.9.

“The first half we came out slow,” reserve center Larry Nance Jr. described of an ugly beginning that created a 47-25 hole. “But resilience. This team kept fighting. This is a really, really good, hungry Oklahoma City team. I thought we were excellent in the second half. A little choppy there at the end, but the NBA is a hard place to win. We’ll take a road win any time we can get it.”

THREE POINTS

Make or miss league.
There aren’t many better illustrations of that cliché than how New Orleans fared Wednesday, going 12/21 from three-point distance after the 1/21 start. McCollum (game-best 29 points, 5/8 on threes) connected four times from beyond the arc in the second half, while Jonas Valanciunas, Herb Jones and Matt Ryan each sank one apiece. The turnaround really began in the second quarter, which was won 29-18 by New Orleans. That allowed the Pelicans to at least reel the Thunder back within shouting distance at 51-43.

Much better on the boards.
New Orleans rarely was dominated rebounding-wise last season, but in each of the last two games vs. New York and Golden State, the opponent held a major advantage in the category. That fortunately reversed course Wednesday, with the Pelicans seizing a 21-6 win in offensive rebounds. Zion Williamson grabbed six of those, quicker to the ball off the rim than the Thunder on many occasions. He scored 12 second-half points and created opportunities for teammates as the central focus of OKC’s wall-building defense.

Foul at the line.
Filed under the “needs improvement” department, the Pelicans allowed the Thunder to remain in the hunt late by missing too many free throws. New Orleans shot just 17/29 (59 percent), including six misfires in the fourth quarter alone. Still, the Pelicans created just enough of a cushion on the scoreboard, partly with a 64-44 margin in the middle quarters.

BY THE NUMBERS

2-0: New Orleans road record. The Pelicans have picked up a pair of away victories against West foes in Memphis and OKC. Their next road trip goes to Denver, Minnesota and Houston, starting Monday. Before then, New Orleans will host Detroit (Thursday) and Atlanta (Saturday), trying to add to its fast start to 2023-24.
5: Rank in team history of Wednesday’s 22-point comeback win. They have a 24-point comeback (against Boston in Feb. 2021), as well as three from down 23.
20, 9, 8: Williamson’s near triple-double stat line, featuring 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.