NBA: Irving sinks 49 but Cavaliers fall to Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, in New Orleans. The Pelicans won 124-122. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman)

Kyrie Irving exploded for 49 points but it was not enough to prevent the Cleveland Cavaliers sinking to a pulsating 124-122 defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

Irving almost single-handedly dragged the Cavaliers back into contention with a scintillating 35-point display in the second half, but the Pelicans held on for a memorable win.

New Orleans had gone into the game missing injured star Anthony Davis.

But Terrence Jones proved a more than able deputy, pouring on a career-high 36 points while Jrue Holiday produced 33 points and 10 assists to seal victory for the Pelicans.

Cleveland and Irving almost pulled off a comeback after recovering from a 20-point halftime deficit. The NBA champions also trailed by 17 points two minutes into the fourth quarter before hauling themselves back into the contest.

The defeat was the Cavaliers’ sixth in their past 10 games, and left them on 30-13. The Pelicans improved to 18-27 with the win.

As well as Irving’s 49-point haul, LeBron James had 26 points while Kevin Love weighed in with 22 points and 16 rebounds.

Irving’s heroics helped the Cavaliers cut their 20-point deficit to 94-86 in the third quarter.

But three-pointers from Langston Galloway, Donatas Motiejunas and Tyreke Evans allowed New Orleans to restore their generous cushion in the fourth quarter with a 103-86 lead.

The Cavaliers came roaring back but New Orleans held their nerve to close out the win.