The New Orleans Pelicans had the odds stacked against them Monday night in Chicago against the Bulls. Playing without their best player in Anthony Davis, playing on the second day of a road back-to-back, playing into a third overtime, and playing a team that hadn't lost a game at home this season, the Pels overcame the odds, earning a impressive 131-128 victory, pulling above .500 (9-8) for the first time this season. The victory marks the 3rd straight for the Pelicans, all coming on the road.

Ryan Anderson, who earned the start for an injured Davis, played a game-high 57 minutes. He made every one of them count, as he scored 36 points, including an impressive 7-11 performance from 3 point range.

Monty Williams squad never faltered, even when trailing by 2 points with less than 3 seconds to go in regulation, and when trailing by 3 points with 10 seconds left in the first overtime. Jrue Holiday (pictured) sunk a 19 footer to tie the game at 103 at the end of the 4th quarter, while Eric Gordon nailed a triple in the closing moments of the first overtime.

A back and fourth contest that saw both squads play through foul trouble and exhaustion, naturally went down to the wire. With the game tied at 128 with 4 seconds remaining in the game, New Orleans inbounded the ball to a slashing Holiday, who surged through the lane for a layup, and the foul. After sinking the FT, the Pelican defense tightly contested a Bulls 3-pointer that fell short, procuring the victory.

All five starters reached double-figures for New Orleans. Holiday finished with a double-double of 19 points and 12 assists, adding another 8 rebounds. Gordon scored 23. Jason Smith added a double-double as well with 12 points and 14 boards, while Al-Farouq Aminu chipped in with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Tyreke Evans came off the bench with 13 big points, as the Pelicans needed every one of them to get by the Bulls.

To sum it up, New Orleans showed incredible resiliency and effort, digging deep for an improbable win. Williams had to shuffle many different lineups with Davis out, but was able to keep his short-handed team focused on the prize.

New Orleans returns home for a matchup on Wednesday with the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off is set for 7:00.

 

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