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The New Orleans Pelicans hadn’t had much success against winning teams this season but came away with a rare triumph on Monday, courtesy of Tyreke Evans. |
Evans hit the-game-winning jumper with 1.2 seconds left, sending the Pelicans to a thrilling 110-108 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.
“We know he’s done it before but that was big,” said back-court mate Jrue Holiday, who had 15 of his game-high 31 points in the final frame along with 13 assists. Portland’s Damian Lillard buried a straight-away 3-pointer to knot the score at 108-108 with 10.9 ticks left, setting the stage for Evans’ heroics.
With New Orleans coach Monty Williams opting not to take a time-out, Evans pushed the ball up court before burying the clutch 20-foot jumper from the left side over Mo Williams for the last of his 20 points.
“As I went down-court, I was thinking about attacking but I knew they weren’t going to call a foul at the end of the game,” Evans said. “I saw Mo on me, he backed up and I let it go.”
The Trail Blazers had a final shot at the win but LaMarcus Aldridge’s contested 12-foot baseline jumper hit the top of the backboard as the Pelicans edged the club with the second-best record in the West for just their second win in 14 games against teams with winning records.
Anthony Davis had 27 points 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Pelicans (14-15), who have won three of theri last four games. Lillard netted 29 points and Aldridge finished with 28 for the Blazers (24-7), who were coming off Saturday’s heart-breaking buzzer-beating overtime loss to Miami.
“This was just a game that we couldn’t pull out our best abilities,” Lillard said. “We just need to learn from this game and use it in a way to win our next one.”
Elsewhere:
Miami Heat 97, Denver Nuggets 94
LeBron James returned from a groin injury with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on his 29th birthday, and the visiting Heat handed the Nuggets their seventh straight loss.
Chris Bosh had 17 points as the two-time defending NBA champs completed a 3-1 road trip despite losing star guard Dwyane Wade in the second half to back spasms and reserve Norris Cole to a facial injury in the third quarter. Ty Lawson had 26 points to pace the Nuggets, who matched their longest slide since April 2003.
Trailing 97-94, Lawson bounced a potential game-tying 3-point try off the rim but Denver regained possession after the ball went out of bounds off Miami with 1.8 ticks left. With a final shot, JJ Hickson couldn’t find anyone to inbound the ball to, and was whistled for a game-ending five-second violation.
Utah Jazz 83, Charlotte Bobcats 80
Rookie Trey Burke scored 21 points, including a driving layup with 19 seconds left, and the Jazz beat the visiting Bobcats for a second win in the last three games. Gerald Henderson had 19 points in Charlotte’s fourth loss in the last five games.
Washington Wizards 106,
Detroit Pistons 99
John Wall netted nine of his 29 points in the final quarter when the visiting Wizards outscored the Pistons 28-12, to complete a sweep of the home-and-home series. Greg Monroe had 22 points and 10 rebounds while Brandon Jennings added 15 points with 14 assist for the Pistons, who lost at Washington on Saturday.
Dallas Mavericks 100,
Minnesota Timberwolves 98
Shawn Marion scored a season-high 32 points and the visiting Mavericks held off the Timberwolves. Marion was involved in controversy on the final play when he clearly fouled Kevin Love on the arm on the potential game-winning three-pointer but no call was made.
Love finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds for the T-Wolves, who fell short despite outscoring the visitors 38-19 in the final frame.
Chicago Bulls 95, Memphis Grizzlies 91
Jimmy Butler scored 14 of his 26 points in the third quarter, Carlos Boozer added 21 with 10 rebounds, and the visiting Bulls beat the Grizzlies for just their fourth win in the last 12 games.
Mike Conley had 26 points, nine assists, and six steals for Memphis, who rallied from 18 down to two in the fourth quarter before falling for the seventh time in the last 10 outings.
Phoenix Suns 107, LA Clippers 88
Slovenia’s Goran Dragic scored 26 points, Gerald Green hit five triples en route to 21 off the bench, and the visiting Suns scorched the Clippers for their 10th win in the last 12 games.
Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford scored 15 points each while DeAndre Jordan grabbed 19 boards for the Pacific Division-leading Clippers, who shot a frosty 37 per cent from the floor in their most lopsided loss of the season.