re: Nets 104 @ Pelicans 109 Final

Recap

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the Pelicans rallied from a 22-point deficit to overtake the East’s hottest team, the Brooklyn Nets. It was the second-largest comeback win in franchise history.

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Evans approached his career high of 35 points by finishing with 33, part of an all-around performance that also included 10 rebounds and seven assists.

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By Davis’ recent standards, he finally played an “average” game, but still registered 24 points and 14 rebounds. He went 9-for-17 from the field and came up with an All-Star-level defensive play in OT, when he grabbed a Mason Plumlee layup attempt out of the air, resulting in a jump ball, then won the ensuing tip.

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A longer quote about what may have been the critical moment in the game.

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Morrow was ice-cold early in overtime, missing a couple of weighty shots that could’ve put the Pelicans in great position. Williams decided to sub Morrow out for Luke Babbitt, but referees ruled that Babbitt had not gotten to the scorer’s table prior to the next dead ball. So instead of exiting, Morrow stayed in and canned two crucial three-pointers. The first trey gave the Pelicans a 106-100 lead with 2:37 to go; the latter was a back-breaker for the Nets, making it 109-102 at 1:00. “I told (Williams) ‘good sub’ when he took me out,” Morrow said of initially believing he was coming out of the game. After the trifecta at 2:37, Morrow ran back on defense yelling “I ain’t gonna miss no more!” A smiling Williams: “The Lord blessed us. I was trying to get (Morrow) out of the game, then he comes right back and hits a shot.”

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3rd Quarter Blues:

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After a poor first half and an equally sluggish start to the third quarter, the Pelicans trailed 66-44 after only two minutes of action. However, New Orleans outscored Brooklyn 29-10 over the remainder of the third period, cutting its deficit to just 76-73.

The Nets steadied themselves a bit in the fourth quarter, maintaining the lead all the way until the 4:52 mark, when an Evans layup tied the score at 89. Brooklyn had to rally from a five-point hole in the final 1:14 to force OT, but a Plumlee dunk and a Paul Pierce three-pointer created a deadlock at 98.

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The Pelicans took over in OT. The Nets finished the game with tired legs. We may have to replace the rims after the abuse they took on the last possession of the game. The sheer number of bricks that they shot in this game probably increased their number of offensive rebounds unnaturally.