The Pelicans still have an outside shot of sneaking into the NBA playoff play-in tournament, but need to go on a long winning streak to have a realistic shot at moving up the standings.
On Friday night in Minnesota, New Orleans allowed to Timberwolves to take control with a late 12-2 run in the fourth quarter, but managed to overturn a double-digit deficit in the final five minutes of regulation to force overtime.
The Pelicans trailed 119-109 with 4:22 remaining, but forced stop after stop on the defensive end and remained patient on offense to chip away at the Timberwolves’ lead. Zion Williamson had a monster game with 37 points on 14-of-17 shooting, and Lonzo Ball had a career-high with 33 points to help force overtime. In the extra period, the Pelicans dominated on both ends of the floor, and Zion forced three Timberwolves to foul out en route to a 140-136 win.
Back-to-back buckets from the Pels and we're back in it! pic.twitter.com/11EyHT8320
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) May 2, 2021