Miller's late 3s rescue Pelicans in 106-105 win over Hawks
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Darius Miller hit four three pointers in the fourth quarter, when he scored 14 of his 21 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans survived a sloppy performance to beat struggling Atlanta 106-105 on Monday night.
DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 16 rebounds, and Anthony Davis added 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Pelicans, who've won five of six. E'Twaun Moore tied a career high with 24 points for New Orleans.
Kent Bazemore scored 22 points for the Hawks, who led by as many as 14 points before fading to lose their fourth straight.
Bazemore also missed a critical free throw with 37.1 seconds left. Atlanta still had a chance to take a late lead, but Dennis Schroder's errant pass toward Tyler Cavenaugh sailed out of bounds with 3.2 seconds to go.
Davis' late turnover -- New Orleans' 19th in the game -- gave Atlanta one last desperation shot with about a second left, but Bazemore was unable to get a clean look at his 3-point attempt over Jrue Holiday, and the shot fell short.
Atlanta took advantage of Pelicans mistakes to keep it close and was accurate from deep, hitting 17 of 36 from 3-point range. Cavanaugh, Luke Babbitt and Marco Belinelli each hit four 3s. Cavanaugh finished with 16 points, while Belinelli had 14 and Babbitt 12.
Atlanta led 101-97 after Cavanugh's final 3 with 2:41 to go. Miller responded with the first of three 3s in the final 2:19, including two in the final minute. His last, from the left wing, came after Holiday's near turnover rolled right to the Pelicans small forward, who'd spent much of the past two seasons playing overseas.
Before the game, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said he was trying to emphasize making better decisions after a rash of turnovers this young season. His players did not respond particularly well in the first half, coughing it up 13 times. The Pelicans compounded their problems with lackluster rebounding. The Hawks had six offensive rebounds and 10 second-chance points.
The Hawks built a 45-31 lead in the middle of the second quarter.
The Pelicans needed only a few minutes to pull themselves back into the game, however, going on a 14-0 run that began with Cousins' 3 and ended with Moore's 3, which tied it at 45. In between, Davis converted a fast-break layup and had a put-back dunk.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Raced to a 32-23 lead after one quarter, during which they shot nearly 57 percent and got three 3s from two former New Orleans players, Babbitt and Belinelli. ... The Hawks led 50-45 at halftime and 80-78 after three quarters. ... Atlanta had 10 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points.
Pelicans: Holiday finished with 13 points. ... Cousins committed seven turnovers and Davis committed five. ... New Orleans has won the first two games of its three-game homestand and is 3-3 at home this season.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Return home to host Sacramento on Wednesday night.
Pelicans: Host Toronto on Wednesday night.
