Pelicans (18-28), Nets (12-36)
Jrue Holiday came up with not one but two huge baskets in the final nine seconds, the second a difficult right side jumper at 1.3 ticks, lifting New Orleans to a thrilling victory. In a tightly-contested game, with neither side leading by more than nine points, the Pelicans improved to 5-1 on their homestand by virtue of a narrow win. All four of New Orleans’ previous wins had come by double figures, with the Pelicans tallying over 110 points each time, but Saturday’s matchup with Brooklyn was much less picturesque. Facing a deficit in the Western Conference playoff chase, however, New Orleans will take a win in any fashion. The Pelicans trailed 51-44 at halftime against a struggling Nets team, but took the lead behind a 27-15 third quarter. The final two minutes was highlighted by big shots from both teams, but none were bigger than Holiday’s three-pointer, followed by his game-winning jumper.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Brooklyn’s Joe Johnson fired an off-balance, 55-footer at the buzzer that nearly went in, but rimmed out, leading to a Smoothie King Center celebration. The Nets had no choice but to launch a desperate heave, because they had no timeouts remaining after Holiday’s two-point jumper with only 1.3 seconds remaining.
