News

Davis powers Pelicans past Magic, 100-92

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Anthony Davis had 22 points, a career-high 19 rebounds and seven blocked shots, and the New Orleans Pelicans won their second straight game, 100-92 over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.
 
   Davis' statistical line marked the first time since the franchise was founded as the Hornets in Charlotte in 1988 that a player on the club had that many points, rebounds and blocks in the same game.
 
   Tyreke Evans scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to keep struggling Orlando at bay.
 
   Led by Arron Afflalo's 25 points, the Magic twice got as close as three points late in the fourth quarter, the last time on Tobias Harris' runner with 4:26 to go.
 
   Brian Roberts had 15 points and Eric Gordon 14 for the Pelicans.
 
   Victor Oladipo 18 points and five steals for Orlando, while Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds.
 
   Davis punctuated his latest memorable performance with a soaring windmill jam over Orlando's Glen Davis that made it 98-90 with 1:24 left.
 
   The play sent Glen Davis stumbling into the padding under the basket, while Anthony Davis took a triumphant stride over the baseline and glared intensely at the crazed crowd, his arms stiff at his side.
 
   The Magic were unable to recover after that.
 
   Orlando outshot New Orleans 46.8 percent (36 of 77) to 45.7 percent (37 of 81), but New Orleans outscored Orlando at the foul line, 21-15, and outrebounded the Magic 48-32. 
 
   Orlando, which has lost 13 of 15 games, never led during the final three quarters, but kept it close much of the second half.
 
   New Orleans led 62-58 after a 6-0 Magic spurt in which Oladipo hit two free throws, converted a steal from Gordon into a fast-break dunk, then stole the ball from Roberts to set up Afflalo's layup.
 
   Gordon halted the surge with a step-back jumper from 19 feet, and Anthony Davis' two-handed jam capped an 11-2 run that put the Pelicans back up by 13.
 
   Orlando closed the third quarter with Afflalo's 3 and two layups by Jameer Nelson, and cut New Orleans' lead to 75-71 on E'Tauwn Moore's floater to open the fourth quarter.
 
   Evans responded with a reverse layup as he was fouled for a three-point play. He wound up scoring all 10 of the Pelicans points through the first 6:33 of the final period to help New Orleans maintain a slim lead. Evans also fed Davis for an alley-oop jam that made it 94-88.
 
   New Orleans started fast, erasing its final deficit of the game on Darius Miller's 3-pointer late in the first period. When Miller hit his second from deep in the second quarter, it capped a 22-6 run that put New Orleans up 38-23.
 
   The lead grew to 16 points on Roberts' 3 late in the period, but Orlando ran off eight straight points on Nelson's 3, Davis' hook shot as he was fouled and Nelson's short floater. That cut New Orleans' lead to 52-44 before Evans' driving shot from 3 feet made it 54-44 at halftime.