NBA News Wire
Pelicans 109, Nets 104
NEW ORLEANS — Guard Anthony Morrow overcame a frigid shooting night to bury a pair of 3-pointers in overtime, and New Orleans got a season-high 33 points from Tyreke Evans to erase a 22-point, third-quarter deficit and defeat the Brooklyn Nets 109-104 Monday night at the Smoothie King Center.
Morrow’s first long-range jumper came just seconds after coach Monty Williams tried to pull him from the game for his 2-of-10 shooting. But when the substitution was disallowed, Morrow responded by making a 3-pointer from the left corner for a 106-100 lead with 2:37 left.
Morrow, who finished with 11 points, followed with another 3 from the top of the key to put New Orleans up 109-102 with 54.5 seconds left.
Forward Anthony Davis, who scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, had a monster defensive play down the stretch, swallowing up a layup attempt by center Mason Plumlee.
The Nets (37-32) were paced by forward Paul Pierce with 24 points and Deron Williams with 23, but they missed their last six 3-pointers in overtime.
The Pelicans (30-40) led 98-93 with 1:14 left after Morrow hit his first 3-pointer of the game and Evans canned two free throws.
But Plumlee grabbed a missed shot for a dunk and Joe Johnson hit s 3-pointer from the left wing with 24.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 98. Morrow’s 18-footer at the buzzer hit iron, sending the game to overtime.
When Johnson hit a pair of free throws two minutes into the third quarter, the Nets held their biggest lead of the game, 66-44. But New Orleans answered with a 15-1 run in the next 4:46, with Evans scoring eight, to cut the deficit to 69-61. Brooklyn responded with seven straight, getting 3-pointers from Williams and forward Paul Pierce to lead 74-61.
The Pelicans then closed out the final 2:36 of the third quarter on a 12-2 surge, climaxed by Evans’ 4-point play after being fouled behind the arc by swingman Alan Anderson. That cut the Brooklyn lead to 76-73. Evans had 14 points in the Pelicans’ 31-18 third quarter.
The Nets used two big second-quarter runs — 9-0 and 12-1 — to take a 54-33 lead with 3:11 left before halftime and built a 58-42 edge at intermission.
Pierce had 15 first-half points, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range. The Nets also drove the ball aggressively to the basket and got to the foul line, making 16 of 19 free throws. Williams added 11 points and four assists in the half. The Brooklyn bench outscored the New Orleans reserves 19-8 in the half, with eight points coming from center Andray Blatche.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, looked lost except for the play of Davis, who scored 17 first-half points on seven of 10 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds despite picking up his third foul late in the half.
The Nets forced the Pelicans into eight first-half turnovers. Guard Tyreke Evans had four turnovers, most coming on out-of-control drives into the lane.
NOTES: Nets coach Jason Kidd said he was pleased F Joe Johnson was named the Eastern Conference’s player of the week. The Nets went 4-0 and Johnson averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Johnson also hit a driving layup with 9.9 seconds left to in a 107-104 overtime road win against Dallas on Sunday. Dating back to Nov. 20, 2012, Johnson is 13 of 16 from the field when the Nets are tied or trailing by three or fewer points with less than a minute left. “He just embraces the moment,” Kidd said. “If you have it, you have it. It’s just a natural thing for Joe, and he’s delivered.” … Nets F Andrei Kirilenko (sprained left ankle) missed his 32nd game of the season. … The Pelicans played without SG Eric Gordon (tendinitis in his left knee) for the second consecutive game.