Despite the absence of star Anthony Davis, 49 points from Kyrie Irving, and a triple - double from LeBron James, the host New Orleans Pelicans shocked the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, 124 - 122. The Pelicans (18 - 27) bounced back from a 29 - point home loss to the league - worst Brooklyn Nets on Friday in a surprising manner, beating the defending champions despite the absence of their best player. Despite Davis (knee) sitting on the bench, New Orleans came out incredibly strong in the first half, establishing a 20 - point lead by halftime. Point guard Jrue Holiday and Terrence Jones shot a combined 17 - of - 19 in the half and scored 22 points each. Jones finished with a team - high 36 to go with 11 rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Holiday, meanwhile, scored 33 with 10 assists, three steals, and two blocks. Although the game proved to be a tale of two halves, New Orleans managed to hold on to its lead for the entirety of the game, despite the close final score. The Cavaliers (30 - 13) may be looking for answers after an unexpected outcome in New Orleans. The Eastern Conference's top team is now 5 - 6 in its last 11 games and is trending downwards despite strong play from its stars. It would have been hard for Cleveland's big three to perform much better than they did on Monday, as Kyrie Irving scored 49 points, the third - highest mark of his career. LeBron James scored 26 and finished with a triple - double, and Kevin Love finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. In the end, it was weak bench play that sunk the defending champs. The Cavs' second unit combined for just 13 points on the night. Cleveland will host Sacramento on Wednesday, while New Orleans will host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
["PlayerStat(G,'LeBron James') has 26 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kevin Love') has 22 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kyrie Irving') has 49 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jrue Holiday') has 10 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 33 Points ,has 3 Steals ."]