Okafor helps short-handed Pelicans beat Rockets 121-116
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
HOUSTON (AP) — If the drama between Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans is frustrating his teammates, it didn’t show in their return to the court Tuesday night.
Jahlil Okafor scored 27 points and the short-handed Pelicans overcame a big early deficit to beat the Houston Rockets 121-116 in their first game since Davis’ agent said the five-time All-Star wants to be traded. Davis sat out his fifth straight game with a sprained left index finger, but Okafor and Jrue Holiday rallied New Orleans despite 37 points from Houston’s James Harden.
“It wasn’t no drama to us,” Okafor said. “A.D.’s here. He took us all to dinner last night. There’s not really any drama for us. I know there’s a lot of noise on the outside, but in the locker room we’re still all together. We still love A.D. He still loves us. … So we’re all great.”
Harden extended his streak of 30-point games to 24, but he had a tough shooting night, making 11 of 32 overall and going 6 for 18 from 3-point range. He had 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Houston coach Mike D’Antoni credited Holiday for making things tough on Harden.
“Jrue Holiday is probably one of the best defenders in the league, if not the best,” he said. “Obviously he did a heck of a job on him.”
Holiday had 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds and a career-high six blocks for New Orleans.
“Obviously beating a team of this caliber and doing it on their home floor is rewarding,” New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said. “I just think that the guys that we put out there they play extremely hard.”
New Orleans used an 8-2 run to make it 114-102 with 3 1/2 minutes left. Holiday had six points for the Pelicans in that span, and Houston missed seven straight shots.
The Rockets got going after that, using a 12-4 spurt — with 10 points from Harden — to get within 118-114 with 22.4 seconds left. Kenrich Williams missed two free throws after that, but Harden turned the ball over, and Houston opted to foul Tim Frazier.
He made one of two free throws to extend the lead to five with 12.1 seconds remaining. Harden was fouled on a 3-pointer and made two of three to cut the lead to three with 6.3 seconds left, but Holiday made two free throws to secure the victory.
“Everything was hard tonight because we weren’t stopping them, and when that happens obviously we paid the price,” D’Antoni said.
The Pelicans snapped a three-game skid amid the Davis drama. Davis’ agent also said the star big man won’t sign an extension with the team, a move that earned Davis a $50,000 fine because the league office said he violated a collectively bargained rule prohibiting players or their representatives from making public trade demands. Davis chatted with teammates while watching the game from the end of the bench.
“That’s going to play out the way it plays out,” Gentry said. “I don’t talk about it very much. I think it’s out in the public now, and I think everything that needed to be said has been said.”
The Rockets led by as many as 15 early, but the Pelicans used a 13-5 run in the third quarter to get within 83-81 with about four minutes left in the quarter. Okafor had four points in that stretch and Holiday added a 3-pointer.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Julius Randle missed his third straight game with a sprained right ankle. … Darius Miller had 14 points. … Frazier added 15 points off the bench.
Rockets: Holiday is the first guard in NBA history with at least 17 points, six rebounds, seven assists and six blocks in a game. … Chris Paul had 10 points and nine assists in his second game back after missing 17 with a hamstring injury. … Kenneth Faried had 19 points and 11 rebounds. … Eric Gordon scored 17 points and made four 3-pointers.
THEY SAID IT
Holiday on his career-high six blocks: “It’s my inner Anthony (Davis), man.”
HARDEN’S SCORING
Tuesday was Harden’s 11th straight game with at least 35 points, which is the fifth-longest streak in NBA history. He averaged 43.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists this month. In 14 games in January he scored 610 points, to become the first player to have 600 or more points in a month since Michael Jordan did it in March of 1987.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Host Denver on Wednesday night.
Rockets: Start a four-game road trip at Denver on Friday night.
Gay’s buzzer beater gives Spurs 126-124 win over Suns
By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs mobbed Rudy Gay after his game-winning shot against Phoenix, but that celebration got a cold dose of reality once they hit the locker room.
Gay hit a 21-foot jumper at the buzzer and the Spurs overcame Devin Booker’s 38 points to escape with a 126-124 victory Tuesday night, extending the Suns’ losing streak to nine games.
“We were really fortunate to win the game,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “I thought that they outplayed us, outcoached us, out-physicaled us, out-executed us. We had no respect for them or for the game. We didn’t play with each other. It was a pathetic performance, and Phoenix got robbed.”
The Suns lost their previous four games by an average of 23 points and were without top draft pick Deandre Ayton, but the Spurs needed a clutch shot at the buzzer to win.
“It’s a win,” Gay said. “I’m not happy about how it happened, but we got a win. That’s part of being a good team — you’ve got to find ways to get wins.”
LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 points and 14 rebounds for San Antonio, which is 2-0 on a four-game homestand despite playing without injured DeMar DeRozan. Gay finished with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Suns lost their 11th straight in San Antonio even as Booker matched his season high in points.
“Dropping nine straight and losing three or four to game-winners, you realize that you have to be locked in the whole game,” Booker said. “It’s not just the final shot.”
Phoenix tied this one with 19.6 seconds remaining. Booker stole a pass from Marco Belinelli and fed Josh Jackson for an uncontested dunk to make it 124-all.
With time winding down, Gay was isolated and pulled up off the dribble for a jumper over Kelly Oubre Jr. on the left wing as the clock expired to help San Antonio avoid an upset.
“Salute to Rudy for hitting that,” Oubre said.
The Spurs entered allowing 109.7 points per game, 13th in the NBA, but struggled to contain the Suns. Phoenix had six players score in double figures, including 22 points by Jamal Crawford.
“We’re just not as physical as we were when we were really playing well,” said San Antonio point guard Derrick White, who had 15 points. “We have moments where we’re doing the right things but we haven’t been consistent with it.”
The Suns were 13 for 29 on 3-pointers and shot 60 percent from the field to turn a 12-point deficit in the third quarter into a near victory.
San Antonio went on a 14-2 run starting midway through the third in taking a 94-82 lead. Phoenix pulled to 96-95 early in the fourth, 106-105 halfway through the period and 119-118 with two minutes remaining.
“We just weathered the storm,” Crawford said. “They threw some haymakers at us and we didn’t fold. We showed some growth and continue to push forward. We gave ourselves a chance, that’s all you can ask for.”
The Spurs finished with seven players in double figures, including every starter. Davis Bertans had 18 points and Belinelli scored 17 off the bench.
TIP-INS
Suns: Phoenix’s last win in San Antonio was Feb. 27, 2013, when Jermaine O’Neal scored 22 points off the bench in a 105-101 victory. … Ayton missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left ankle.
Spurs: DeRozan sat out his third consecutive game with a sore left knee. He has missed four games this season, all within the last two weeks. … Belinelli was 4 for 7 on 3-pointers to reach 1,100 career 3s in his 12th season. … Aldridge has 17,968 career points, moving him past World B. Free, Calvin Murphy and Lou Hudson and into the top 75 scorers in NBA history.
PUT HIM IN, COACHES
Bertans was not invited to participate in the 3-point shooting contest during All-Star weekend despite leading the league in 3-point percentage.
That confounds his teammates.
“I think he’s one of the best 3-point shooters in the league,” Gay said. “I don’t know why he’s not in the 3-point contest.”
TAKING A BREAK
Phoenix has three days off before playing Atlanta. The Suns seek their first win since Jan. 12.
“At this point everybody’s a little banged up,” Crawford said. “It may be good to get away from it for a day and then get back to it.”
UP NEXT
Suns: Host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
Spurs: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.