Halo

The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Chicago Bulls 132-128 in Monday's double-overtime thriller at the Smoothie King Center, and big man DeMarcus Cousins made the most of the additional time.

He torched the Bulls for 44 points, 24 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and a block in one of the best performances of the NBA season.



Cousins joined some notable company in the process:



He did enough to impress LeBron James:

While Cousins has mostly made a name for himself as a four-time All-Star because of his scoring and rebounding ability as a dominant frontcourt presence, he needed to show off his passing to reach the triple-double. He unleashed one long one in New Orleans that would have made Drew Brees jealous:



Despite the showing, Cousins had one thing on his mind after the win:



Teammate Rajon Rondo provided his version of the ice tub:



For as great as Cousins was, it took more than a one-man show to overcome Chicago's 18-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Anthony Davis was also brilliant with 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block, and he hit two clutch free throws to put the Pelicans ahead by two with three seconds remaining in regulation.

However, his outing was just a footnote, as Josh Eberley of Hoop pointed out:



It wasn't all good for Cousins, though, as Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen got him on one dunk and a fan apparently caught his attention during the contest:



The Pelicans figure to be a dangerous postseason team if Davis and Cousins continue to play at an elevated level. They are now 25-21 and sitting in the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference standings thanks to a 5-1 stretch in their last six.

They face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday before an opportunity to make up some ground during a span of six games in a row against Western Conference foes.

Read more New Orleans Pelicans news on BleacherReport.com



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