Sixers Routed By Pelicans 135-98
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Davis was on his way to what might have been a memorable — and unusual — statistical line before calling it a night with more than three minutes still left in the third quarter.
Not that he was complaining.
Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
Ryan Anderson scored 26 points— hitting six 3-pointers — in his return from a broken toe that sidelined him for New Orleans' first nine games. He scored 14 points in his first 14 minutes, helping the Pelicans build a 30-point lead in the first half.
New Orleans point guard Jrue Holiday had 14 points and 12 assists against the team that traded him for injured rookie big man Nerlens Noel during the first round of last summer's draft.
Tony Wroten led the Sixers with 19 points, but Philadelphia offered little resistance, allowing New Orleans to shoot 62 percent through three quarters, when the Pelicans led 103-66.
The Pelicans finished shooting 60.5 percent and had eight players score in double figures. Eric Gordon scored 19 points, Tyreke Evans 15 and reserve point guard Brian Roberts added 14 and Austin Rivers 12.
Darius Morris scored a career-high 20 points for Philadelphia, most coming in the second half when the game was out of reach. Spencer Hawes had 14 points, but made only four of 11 shots. The Sixers, who lost their second straight, shot 37.5 percent (24 of 64) through the first three quarters, only improving that figure marginally after the game was out of reach.
Davis did not score much early but established himself defensively with five blocks in the first quarter. One swat came from behind on Evan Turner's layup attempt, and the smack of Davis' hand on the ball could be heard across the court.
The Sixers, by contrast, accomplished little on the defensive end as the Pelicans shot close to 60 percent for much of the first half.
Anderson hit a pair of 3s and six of his first nine shots shortly after checking in.
Evans made his first five shots, including a driving layup as he was fouled by Hawes. Hawes then argued the call and was called for a technical foul, resulting in a four-point possession that gave New Orleans a 52-26 lead.
The Pelicans stretched their lead to 30 when Davis' free throws made it 61-31.
The Sixers responded with a 15-6 run, which included five points by Thaddeus Young and was capped by Lavoy Allen's driving dunk to pull Philadelphia to 67-46 at halftime.
Notes: Young and James Anderson each scored 11 for Philadelphia. ... A delay of game warning was called on Sixers coach Brett Brown for grabbing a deflected pass as it went out of bound before New Orleans' Jason Smith could try to save it. Smith and Pelicans coach Monty Williams both protested, by the Sixers were permitted to retain possession and Hawes hit a 3 moments later. ... Philadelphia's Daniel Orton was called for a technical foul after throwing Pelicans center Jason Smith to the floor in the second half.
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