Pelicans end Grizzlies' perfect start in overtime thriller

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The NBA's last unbeaten team is unbeaten no more. Jeremiah Fears sank two free throws with 7.3 seconds left in overtime, and the New Orleans Pelicans escaped FedExForum with a 135-134 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, ending Memphis' franchise-record-matching 6-0 start to the season.

The win was New Orleans' third in a row after an 0-4 start, lifting the Pelicans to 3-4. Memphis fell to 6-1, and the one-point margin told the story of a night in which neither side could pull away for long. New Orleans won the extra period 11-10 after regulation ended tied at 124.

Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 25 points and 11 rebounds, including nine points in overtime, and Karlo Matkovic matched him with a career-high 25 points. Derik Queen added 20 points off the bench, while Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey scored 18 points apiece. Six Pelicans reached double figures.

For Memphis, Ty Jerome produced a game-high 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting, including 5 of 6 from three-point range, with five rebounds and five assists. Cameron Boozer added 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Grizzlies, who shot 51.6 percent and made 18 three-pointers.

A lead lost, then a season's first defeat

New Orleans led for the entire fourth quarter and looked in control when Matkovic's three-pointer made it 124-115 with 2:36 remaining. That shot closed Matkovic's scoring for the night.

Jerome had other ideas. He scored the last nine points of regulation for Memphis, a personal 9-0 run in the final 1:43 that erased the nine-point deficit and tied the game at 124. It sent the home crowd into overtime believing the unbeaten start would survive.

The extra period followed the same pattern. Jerome scored eight of Memphis' 10 points in overtime, and Williamson answered with nine of New Orleans' 11. Fears' two free throws were the only other Pelicans points in the period, which made his composure all the more important.

Jerome had put Memphis ahead 134-133 with 18.8 seconds left, driving for a layup, drawing a foul on Matkovic and converting the free throw for a three-point play. New Orleans answered on its next trip. Williamson missed a contested jumper under pressure, but Bey secured the offensive rebound and the ball found Fears, who was fouled by Jaylen Wells and went to the line.

Fears calmly made both attempts to put New Orleans ahead 135-134. Memphis put the ball in Jerome's hands on the final possession, but his contested 15-foot attempt missed as time expired.

How the game swung quarter by quarter

New Orleans took the first quarter 34-31 and built a 10-point lead at 43-33 in the second quarter. Memphis rallied behind its three-point shooting, however, winning the second quarter 31-25 to take a 62-59 lead into halftime. It was Memphis' first lead since early in the first quarter.

The third quarter belonged to New Orleans. The Pelicans outscored Memphis 41-33 to take a 100-95 lead into the fourth. Matkovic finished 9 of 13 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range, with six rebounds.

Memphis won the fourth quarter 29-24, almost entirely because of Jerome's late surge, but that comeback only delayed the decisive moment. In overtime, the game became a duel between Williamson and Jerome, and New Orleans' work at the margins proved decisive.

The Pelicans made 25 of 30 free throws, while Memphis converted 22. New Orleans committed only eight turnovers to Memphis' 16, turning that advantage into 21 points, and won the second-chance battle 20-9. Those small margins mattered in a game decided by a single point.

Williamson finished 9 of 15 from the field and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line, with four assists. Queen added seven rebounds and five assists to his 20 points, and Murphy finished with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists.

What it means going forward

Memphis remains 6-1 and will look to start a new winning run immediately. The Grizzlies will take encouragement from Jerome's form, but 16 turnovers against a disciplined opponent are difficult to overcome.

New Orleans, meanwhile, leaves Memphis with momentum and a valuable road win. The Pelicans showed they could withstand a late collapse, regroup in overtime and still find a winning play when the game was on the line. Williamson's overtime scoring, Matkovic's career night and Queen's bench production gave them three different ways to score, and Fears provided the calm finish.

That balance may be the most encouraging sign for New Orleans. After four straight defeats to start the season, the Pelicans played with patience in Memphis, protected the ball, attacked the offensive glass and trusted a young guard at the free-throw line with the game in the balance. Fears delivered, Jerome's last shot missed, and the NBA's final unbeaten record fell.