DALLAS – On a night when longtime Dallas franchise player Dirk Nowitzki made some NBA history, lesser-known names like Kenrich Williams, Frank Jackson and Cheick Diallo helped New Orleans pull off a much-needed, comeback victory.
After Nowitzki moved into sixth place on the all-time scoring list – passing legendary center Wilt Chamberlain – Pelicans trailed for much of the night, including by 10 at halftime. Relying mostly on lineups featuring reserves and young players, New Orleans outplayed Dallas after intermission, then took over in the first few minutes of overtime.
Williams made a momentous defensive play in the final seconds of regulation, picking off a Dallas pass in the backcourt, leading to a Julius Randle dunk that put the Pelicans in front by a point.