The New Orleans Pelicans (20-20) never seem to get out of their own way. They headed into the break with a 61-60 lead on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies (13-27) thanks to E’Twuan Moore putting up five points in 34 seconds.
However, the Pelicans offense was on life support, scoring only nine points in the third quarter. That allowed the Grizzlies to go up 77-70 thanks to seven points from former Pelican in Tyreke Evans.
The Pelicans woke up from their slumber halfway through the final frame with an 11-3 run, making it 87-86. The Grizzlies defense was able to keep the game within a couple of points and Evans made it 105-102 with 5.9 seconds left in regulation. It looked like the Pelicans would send it into overtime, but were unable to tie it up with Moore missing a three-pointer as time expired.
The Pelicans will return to action on Friday when they host on the Portland Trail Blazers (22-19) with tipoff set for 7 pm.
-Clint Domingue