NBA: Pelicans upset the Bucks in overtime for their second win in a row
New Orleans, Louisiana - The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks suffered a surprising loss on Friday night to one of the NBA’s lackluster teams, the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans beat the Bucks 116-112 for their second win in a row, and only the second time so far this season that New Orleans has won two games in a row.
Starting out, the Bucks broke out by controlling the tempo of the game, leading the Pelicans by seven after one quarter.
But New Orleans flipped the script in the second quarter, outscoring Milwaukee 31 to 21 in that period to run into the half over the Bucks 52-49.
The Pelicans kept the heat up in the third quarter and led by as many as 12 points, the biggest advantage they would have in the game but the Bucks stayed in the thick of things to end that quarter tied 77-77.
Milwaukee regained the lead early in the fourth but the Pelicans got back on top again, holding off the Bucks until they sank a crucial layup that tied the game again to send things into overtime.
The Bucks once again had the lead early in overtime only to see the Pelicans snatch it right back with under four minutes to play, holding off the defending champs for good as time ran out.
The player spotlight
New Orleans’ third-year point guard Devonte' Graham (26) was the star of the show on Friday night against the Bucks.
As the team’s third-leading scorer with 13.8 points per game, Graham did considerably better than his regular-season average.
He had a night that would make Steph Curry proud by draining eight three-pointers in total.
He also dropped two free throws in the final seconds of overtime that helped put the Bucks away for good.
Graham finished the night with 8-for-12 shooting from the field, all from behind the three-point line, 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
The big picture
While this loss was surprising, the Bucks were playing short-handed with just nine players on the active roster.
They were missing eight other players, including their best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who entered the league’s Covid-19 protocols earlier this week.
Antetokounmpo should be back soon out of the protocols, and the other Bucks on the mend don’t have severe injuries that’ll keep them sidelined for very long either.
For the time being, Milwaukee should perhaps learn as much as they can from their unexpected loss to the Pelicans before they find themselves in another slump like they crawled through at the beginning of the season.
On Sunday, the Pelicans will travel to Philly to take on the Sixers, while on Saturday, the Bucks head back home to host the Cavaliers.
Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire