By Patrick Ivan Palugod
EBC New York Bureau
NEW YORK (Eagle News Service) — Kristaps Porzingis and Anthony Davis, a dream matchup for years to come, faced up at center court in Madison Square Garden as the visiting Pelicans looked to avenge their previous loss to the Knicks back in December at Smoothie King Arena.
Davis scored a season high 48 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Pelicans rallied from a 19-point deficit to shock the Knicks with a thrilling 123-118 overtime victory on Sunday.
The Knicks appeared to be cruising to a win late in the third quarter when Tim Hardaway Jr.’s jumpshot gave New York a 96-77 advantage with 1:22 remaining in the period. Down 19 points, the Pelicans took advantage of Knicks’ missed opportunities and went on a 17-4 run, cutting the score to 100-94 halfway through the
fourth quarter.
After the Pelicans slowly climbed their way back, Davis hit a layup off an entry pass from DeMarcus Cousins to tie the game at 109 with three seconds remaining in regulation. In the final play, New Orleans had a chance to win during regulation when E’Twaun Moore stole an inbounds pass, but his three-point shot hit the back of the rim at the buzzer.
The Pelicans outscored the Knicks 14-9 during overtime as Knicks fans exited with moans of frustration and a spattering of boo’s were audible when Jrue Holiday sank free throws with seven seconds left giving New Orleans a five-point advantage, securing the win.
“Resilience. Toughness. Mental toughness. We just wanted to come out and get this win,” Davis said. “They came in our home and beat us [back on December 30] in a game we felt like we should’ve won.”
Holiday added 31 points and despite an off night, shooting 4-of-16 f
rom the floor, Cousins filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, 16 rebounds, seven steals and five assists for the Pelicans.
Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. each scored 25 points for the Knicks. Jarrett Jack contributed to a season-high 22 points, and Enes Kanter ended the game with a double-double of 18 points and 10 boards.
”I think we’ve just got to do a better job of when we’re up 12, 15 points, we’ve got to take it to another level, another notch,” Hardaway said. ”We haven’t been doing that these last couple of games.”