Pelicans tie record for biggest comeback in franchise history

Saddiq Bey (YouTube)

The New Orleans Pelicans tied a franchise record on Thursday for the biggest comeback in franchise history. This was also the biggest comeback in the NBA this season.

The Pelicans were once down 72-47 with 58 seconds into the first half, before outscoring the Houston Rockets 86-56 in the last 23 minutes and two seconds en route to a remarkable 133-128 win. New Orleans’s win was a notable upset too as it was they were a 9.5 point underdog and only delivered their sixth win of the season.

Five Pelicans players reached double digits in points. Small forward Saddiq Bey of Charlotte, North Carolina led the Pelicans with 29 points. He was followed by Trey Murphy III of Durham, North Carolina with 27 points, forward Herbert Jones of Tuscaloosa, Alabama with 18 points, center Derik Queen of Baltimore, Maryland with 16 points, and guard Jordan Poole of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with 15 points.

Even though the Pelicans got the win, there were concerns of the defensive play of star player Zion Williamson. That is because he was a team worst -17.

The Pelicans only have a record of seven wins and 22 losses all season, the worst record in the Western Conference. However, they have won four games in a row. Also during the streak, they clobbered the Portland Trail Blazers 143-120 on December 11, beat the Chicago Bulls 114-104 on December 14, and beat the Indiana Pacers 128-109 on Saturday.

The biggest prior comeback in Pelicans’s history was not too long ago. On January 20, New Orleans trailed Utah 46-21 before winning 123-119 in overtime. Meanwhile, the previous largest comeback this season was on November 4. The Chicago Bulls were down 65-41 before coming back to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 113-111.