The New Orleans Pelicans finally put one in the win column against the Memphis Grizzlies, handing the previously unbeaten team its first loss in a wild 135-134 overtime finish on the road.
New Orleans has now strung together three straight wins and sits at 3-4 after surviving another tense finish that nearly slipped away late. The Pelicans were up by nine with fewer than five minutes left, only to let Memphis claw back and force overtime. In the end, Jeremiah Fears settled things at the line with two huge free throws, and Trey Murphy helped finish the job with a strong defensive possession to close out the extra period.
It was the kind of ending New Orleans badly needed after another near-collapse. The bigger issue, though, was how the game got away from them in the first place.
Herb Jones checked out with 7:58 remaining and did not return until 2:11 left in overtime, a stretch that proved costly. During that window, Memphis point guard Ty Jerome took over.
He scored 14 points from the time Jones left until he returned, with nine of those coming in the final two minutes to force overtime. Jones was on the floor for only about a minute before helping force a turnover, but once he went back to the bench, Jerome added five more points and put Memphis back in front.
Jerome finished with 40 points.
New Orleans will need to find a way to trust Fears in those late-game moments, even if this one was a rough night for him until the end. Jerome, a veteran on a strong team, won the matchup on offense, but Fears answered when it mattered most with those clutch free throws.
The night also featured a career performance from Karlo Matkovic, who stepped into a bigger role with Yves Missi out and delivered in a big way. Matkovic scored a career-high 25 points and added six rebounds, two steals and a block while knocking down 5-of-8 from three.
Derik Queen also turned in one of his most polished games, looking every bit like the version New Orleans saw at his best as a rookie. He finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block, and he did it efficiently while holding up against a bigger, stronger frontcourt.
Zion Williamson made his presence felt defensively and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Murphy got hot and helped swing the game. As a team, the Pelicans kept their mistakes down with just eight turnovers, won the offensive rebounding battle and scored 21 points off Memphis turnovers.
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