NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis is getting even better while the New Orleans Pelicans close out another difficult season. Brooks Orpik USA Jersey . Davis set career highs with 40 points and 21 rebounds, and Eric Gordon made two crucial free throws in overtime to lead the Pelicans to a 121-120 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday night. "My teammates tell me that they feed off my energy and they want me to be great so I cant be timid and do what it takes to help my team win," said Davis, who also blocked three shots, making him the eight player in NBA history with at least 40 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks in a game. "Were trying to do a better job of making me comfortable down the stretch." Tyreke Evans added 26 points and Gordon had 19 for the Pelicans (27-39), who had lost two consecutive games. Gordons foul shots with 9.4 seconds remaining gave the Pelicans a 121-117 lead. "In overtime we did enough to squeak out a one-point win," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. Jeff Green, who led Boston with 39 points, answered Gordons free throws in overtime with a three-point play that trimmed New Orleans lead to 121-120 with 5.7 seconds remaining. But the Celtics were unable to foul on the inbounds play and New Orleans ran out the clock. "At least we played with better poise at the end of regulation and overtime," said Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who blamed a defensive miscommunication for Boston not committing the late foul. "We gave ourselves a chance to win on the offensive end. Guys got a couple of stops, just not enough at the end." Davis did not score in overtime but controlled the middle by grabbing six rebounds. He became the first player in franchise history to have at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game. He is averaging 32.3 points in his last six games. His previous high for points was Friday night when he scored 36 in a loss against Portland. Davis 21 rebounds erased his previous career high of 19 against Orlando on Jan. 26. "I think he can do this 10 to 15 times a year just because he is so gifted and does things for the right reason," Williams said. "Obviously, he has great athletic ability but some of that stuff is just him. We try to put him in a position where he can be a dominant player." Green made three big free throws late in regulation, tying it at 110. Davis answered with a jumper for New Orleans, but Kris Humphries, who scored 16 points, sent the game into overtime on a long jumper from the right corner. "Thats a tough one to swallow," said Celtics forward Jared Sullinger, who scored 14 points. "(Humphries) hitting that big shot to send it into overtime, we thought we could win. In the end we came up short." Avery Bradley had 12 points for the Celtics, who lost their fourth consecutive game. Evans layup with 5:33 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Pelicans a 102-89 lead. Boston then closed with a 23-10 surge to force the extra period. It was similar to the past two games when the Pelicans blew leads against Memphis and Portland. "We played defence in the fourth quarter and in overtime and got stops when we needed it," Davis said. "We came up with the rebounds and made free throws." The Celtics, who attempted to push the pace against the defence-minded Pelicans, closed the first half on a 17-8 run to take a 64-57 halftime lead. Boston scored 39 points in the second period. Green had 20 points at the break. He had a tying dunk with 4:11 left and a 3-pointer with 2:35 remaining, giving Boston a 54-49 lead. NOTES: The Pelicans finished 24 of 28 from the free-throw line, after making their only two foul shots in the first half. ... Davis was 12 of 12 from the line, and has not missed an attempt in his past three games. ... The Pelicans have won their past five games that have gone into overtime. ... New Orleans scored a season-high 70 points in the paint, and held Boston to 46. Max Pacioretty USA Jersey . Howard had 19 points and nine rebounds in his first game since signing a four-year, $88 million deal with the Rockets in the off-season. Howard was 6 of 11 from the field and 7 of 11 from the free-throw line in 27 minutes. John Carlson USA Jersey . The delighted Vancouver Whitecaps coach was "lost for words" after his club scored three goals in the first 20 minutes en route to a 3-2 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.LIVERPOOL, England -- Title-chasing Liverpool overcame an attack of nerves to squeeze to a 2-1 win over Sunderland and move to within a point of leader Chelsea in the Premier League on Wednesday. Steven Gerrards free kick and Daniel Sturridges deflected shot put Liverpool two goals clear by the 48th minute, but the pressure of being a serious challenger for the title for the first time since 2009 showed in the final half-hour. Ki Sung-yeungs 76th-minute header came amid a dominant spell for the relegation-threatened visitors and Liverpool survived some hair-raising moments in the last minutes to seal a seventh straight league win. Hope has turned into expectation at Anfield these past few weeks as Liverpool -- the dominant side in England in the late 1970s and 1980s -- revives its glory days to launch a title challenge against all the odds. Its players loss of composure in the latter stages was telling, and it is set to get even more nervy over the next few weeks with seven games left. "We have had a wonderful season until now, but there is still a way to go and the message to the supporters is to keep believing," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said. "As the season goes on, we will embrace the pressure and enjoy it." The victory lifted Liverpool into second place -- two points above Manchester City, which has two games in hand over the sides above them. But this was not as convincing as the Reds previous six victories, when they scored at least three goals every game to cement their status as the Premier League entertainers. "The game was set up for a big party, four or five goals," said Sunderland manager Gus Poyet, who added: "My friends in Uruguay didnt send me one text before the game ... they thought wed be destroyed." The game certainly looked like it would go that way when Sturridge found the net, via a deflection off Wes Brown, for his 20th goal of the campaign. That ensured two Liverpool players have scored at least 20 times in the same season for the first time in 50 years, when Roger Hunt and Ian St. Derek Stepan USA Jersey. John were prolific in leading the line for the Reds. Luis Suarezs current haul stands at 28 goals and although the Uruguay international didnt add to his tally against Sunderland, he played a key role in the opener. Santiago Vergini escaped with just a yellow card when he hauled down Suarez when last man. Sunderland hadnt escaped, though, as Gerrard curled the resulting free kick in the 39th into the top corner for his ninth goal in 2014. Relief spread around Anfield but the nerves were to return midway through the second half, when Liverpool sat back and started to get sloppy in possession. The deficit was halved when Adam Johnson whipped in a corner that crept through a crowded area for fellow substitute Ki to stoop and head in at the far post. And Sunderland should have returned to the north east with a point as John OShea headed a gilt-edged chance wide just before injury time. Its another win chalked up by Liverpool as it seeks a first league title since 1990 and the clubs fans are starting to believe again. The way they cheered Liverpools players into Anfield before the game got Rodgers heart beating. "Our game started on the coach on the way in here," Rodgers said. "Any guys who watched Liverpool in the 70s and 80s coming in, it filled me with great pride being the manager of the club as we were driving in." Liverpool, which is unbeaten in 2014, has home games remaining against City and Chelsea. "We are in fantastic position," Gerrard said, "but we havent won anything yet." In Wednesdays other game, West Ham ended a three-game losing streak as an own-goal by James Chester secured a 2-1 win over 10-man Hull in a match between two mid-table teams. Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor was shown a straight red card after charging into Mo Diame midway through the first half and Mark Noble dispatched the resulting penalty to give West Ham the lead. Nikica Jelavic equalized in the 48th. cheap jerseys from chinacheap jerseys ' ' '
