Anthony Davis scored 44 points, including the first basket in double overtime, as the New Orleans Pelicans squandered a 28-point lead before escaping Barclays Center with a 138-128 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
Davis posted his fourth game with at least 40 points this season and the 19th of his career. He shot 16-of-35 and hit the go-ahead 23-footer just in front of the 3-point line for a 126-124 lead.
After Davis’ jumper, Nikola Mirotic hit an 18-footer with 3:31 left, Davis hit two free throws with 2:50 left and another jumper with 88 seconds left for a 135-126 lead.
The Pelicans outscored Brooklyn 14-4 in the second overtime. The Nets missed their first nine shots of the second overtime.
Rajon Rondo added 25 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his second triple-double of the season and 31st career during the regular season. Jrue Holiday added 22 while Mirotic contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds as New Orleans won for the second time in seven games since losing DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury on Jan. 26.
Allen Crabbe scored 23 of his 28 points after halftime, including 14 in the third quarter when the Nets began their comeback. He made the game-tying 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in regulation and gave the Nets their first lead of the game by hitting a 3-pointer early in the first overtime.
Crabbe shot 10-of-24 and tied a career high by hitting eight 3-pointers as the Nets matched the Dec. 2013 team record by hitting 21 3-pointers.
Spencer Dinwiddie added 24 points but shot 5-of-22 from the field, though he did make all 12 free throw attempts. Reserve D’Angelo Russell contributed 21 for the Nets, who shot 37.7 percent in their fifth straight loss.
Crabbe’s eighth 3-pointer gave the Nets a 122-118 lead with 2:28 left in the first overtime but Holiday’s jumper forged a 124-124 deadlock with 47 seconds remaining. The game reached the second overtime when DeMarre Carroll and Holiday missed potential game-winning shots.
Davis was up to 29 points when New Orleans took an 89-61 lead on his 3-point play with six minutes left in the third. The Pelicans were outscored 55-27 over the final 18 minutes of regulation.
–Field Level Media
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