Holiday lifts Pelicans to 3OT win over Bulls
CHICAGO — Jrue Holiday made a three-point play with 2.6 seconds remaining in the third overtime Monday night, giving the New Orleans Pelicans a 131-128 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Holiday had 19 points and 12 assists for the Pelicans. He made an 18-footer with 3.9 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 103 and force overtime.
Ryan Anderson had a career-high 36 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 7 for 11 on 3-pointers. Eric Gordon added 23 points for New Orleans (9-8).
Luol Deng led the Bulls with 37 points and also had eight rebounds and seven assists. Reserve Taj Gibson had 26 points and 14 rebounds, Mike Dunleavy added 23 points and Joakim Noah had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the Bulls’ first game at home following a 1-5 road trip while the circus took over the United Center for two weeks. The Bulls (7-9) lost for the first time at home after winning five in a row.
In the extra session, the teams traded one-point leads for nearly three minutes before Deng’s drive gave the Bulls a 109-106 advantage with 2:08 left. The Bulls then got consecutive defensive stops and had two chances to stretch the lead, but couldn’t convert. Gordon then hit a 3-pointer with 10.2 seconds to go tie the score at 109 to force a second OT.
In double overtime, it was the Bulls who made a comeback. Trailing 118-113, they took advantage of New Orleans’ mistakes and tied the score at 122 on Deng’s drive with 4.7 seconds to go.
The Bulls jumped on top in the third session, but the Pelicans rallied and took a 127-126 edge on Anderson’s 3-pointer with 1:08 to go. Noah tied it 128.
NOTES: For the second straight season, Pelicans center Anthony Davis — the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft — missed the team’s only visit to his hometown. The 6-foot-10 big man broke his left hand Sunday in New York and is out in definitely. Last year, Davis was held out with a mild concussion. “One of the first things he said to me when I got back in the locker room was, `Two years in a row,”’ Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. “Took me a minute to realize what he was talking about. He just really wanted to play here. I feel bad for him.” . Derrick Rose, who had surgery a week ago to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, didn’t attend the Bulls’ first home game since the injury. “I’ve been talking to him,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s doing fine.”. Thibodeau and Williams were added to USA Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff last and spent a lot of time together. “I learned a lot just being with him every day for a week, just talking basketball, family,” Williams said of Thibodeau. “Just listening to the way he goes about his business for me was beneficial.”