NEW ORLEANS _ It took an extra period to decide Nets vs. Pelicans on Tuesday night, but the Nets were able to pull out the victory with a 108-101 overtime win in New Orleans.
Spencer Dinwiddie continued his scoring spree in the Big Easy, scoring 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting from the field. It was Dinwiddie's fifth consecutive game with at least 24 points and his eighth in Brooklyn's last 11 games.
Jarrett Allen added 12 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. Allen recorded four of those blocks in the first quarter, each on Pelicans' star Brandon Ingram, each at the rim. Joe Harris also added 24 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three.
The win over the Pelicans embodied the grit the Nets pride themselves on. Brooklyn shot just 11-of-39 from three with Dinwiddie, Garrett Temple and Taurean Prince going cold, combining for just 3-of-20 shooting from deep.
Brooklyn had to win this one with their defense in overtime. They held the Pelicans to just eight points while scoring 15 of their own.
"Our defense again saved us and collectively great job on Ingram, great job on Holiday getting their percentages down," Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the game. "We really had to work for this one."
This one looked like a snoozer three quarters in. The Pelicans held a 64-61 lead entering the fourth, and up until then, neither team could find the basket. It was the polar opposite of what happened in Brooklyn, when the two teams combined for 260 points in a 10-point win for the Nets.
Then both teams woke up, when the Nets caught fire and hit four of their first six 3-point attempts in the period.
The Nets were the beneficiary of a pivotal replay at the 1:31 mark in overtime, when the ball was originally ruled out on Jarrett Allen. The replay showed it was New Orleans' Josh Hart who knocked the ball out of Allen's hands. The Nets were awarded the ball, and Atkinson drew up a play that resulted in a wide-open Harris 3-pointer.
Brandon Ingram hit a three on the next possession down, but he threw the ball away, giving it back to the Nets shortly after with a 106-101 lead and 17 seconds to go in overtime. The Pelicans had no choice but to play the foul game.
The Nets didn't miss any of their free throws in overtime and came away with the win.
This is the first game of a short road trip for the Nets. The next stop is in San Antonio, where they play a Spurs team that got off to a slow start but has won five of its last 10 games.
