Pelicans 109, Nets 104 (OT)
Tyreke Evans scored a season-high 33 points and also had 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals as the Pelicans rallied from a 22-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the visiting Nets.
Anthony Davis added 24 points and 14 rebounds and Brian Roberts scored 17 points for New Orleans, which won its third straight game. Anthony Morrow added 11 points, including two key 3-pointers in the extra session to hand Brooklyn a crushing defeat.
Paul Pierce scored 24 points and Deron Williams added 23 for the Nets, who fell two games behind fourth-place Chicago in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Joe Johnson tallied 15 points and Andray Blatche had 12 for Brooklyn, which had a four-game winning streak snapped.
Brooklyn possessed an eight-point advantage with under eight minutes to play in regulation before New Orleans rattled off 10 straight and took a 91-89 lead on Evans’ hoop with 3:25 left. The Pelicans led 98-93 after two free throws by Evans with 1:29 remaining before the Nets ran off five straight and forced overtime on Pierce’s 3-pointer with 24.1 seconds to go, but Roberts hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the extra session and Morrow added his two clutch makes.
The Nets built a 58-42 halftime lead and stretched the advantage to 66-44 two minutes into the third quarter. New Orleans erupted with a 29-10 burst to close within 76-73 heading into the fourth quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Pelicans G Eric Gordon (knee) missed his second straight game. … Nets G Marcus Thornton left with back soreness while F Andrei Kirilenko (ankle) sat out the contest. … New Orleans had a 56-34 edge in points in the paint.