Anthony Davis Shines, Pelicans Top Sixers 108-93
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Anthony Davis had 31 points and 16 rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans over the Philadelphia 76ers 108-93 on Tuesday night in a matchup of struggling teams.
Davis scored 11 in New Orleans' dominant second quarter and Terrence Jones finished with 17 points and 10 boards for the Pelicans, who avenged a Dec. 8 home loss to the 76ers while winning for only the third time in 11 games.
Ersan Ilyasova had 14 points to pace Philadelphia (7-21).
The Pelicans (10-20) built on their 13-point halftime lead and were up 18 early in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia got as close as 95-88 on Nik Stauskas' 3-pointer with 5:25 left and had chances to pull closer, but misfired on two straight possessions.
New Orleans took a double-digit lead into the locker room following a big second quarter.
Davis and Tim Frazier combined for 21 points in the period as the Pelicans doubled up the Sixers 42-21 to take a 57-44 halftime lead. New Orleans shot 55.6 percent (15 for 27) from the field, including 66.7 percent (4 for 6) from 3-point range. The 42 points represented the most in a quarter for the Pelicans all season.
Philadelphia coach Brett Brown sat ineffective big men Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor for most of the third quarter, instead inserting Nerlens Noel with 6:49 left in the period. Noel has been the odd man out at a crowded center spot.
Brown said Sunday that Noel, a 2013 first-round draft pick who missed the first 23 games while recovering from knee surgery, won't be part of the regular rotation while he sees if Embiid and Okafor are a fit on the floor together. Embiid and Okafor started alongside each other for the fourth straight game. Both had 11 points.
Fans gave Noel a rousing ovation when he entered and a louder cheer when he scored on a follow basket with 5:40 left in the third. But the Philadelphia crowd didn't have much else to applaud after the first quarter.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Rookie guard Buddy Hield scored 10 points and continued his strong shooting from outside. Hield was 2 for 2 from 3-point range and is shooting 52 percent (25 for 48) from beyond the arc this month. . Tyreke Evans (rest) didn't play. . Solomon Hill returned to the lineup after missing two games for the birth of his daughter. Hill had two points and three rebounds in 33 minutes. . Jrue Holiday played his first four seasons with Philadelphia. . Davis missed eight of his first nine shots but finished 12 for 30.
76ers: Stauskas returned from a one-game absence due to left knee soreness only to leave in the first quarter after going hard to the floor on a charge against Frazier. Stauskas returned in the third quarter. . Philadelphia finished 1-3 on a four-game homestand.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Begin a five-game homestand by hosting Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
76ers: Open a four-game Western road trip Friday night at Phoenix.
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