NEW ORLEANS (AP) Anthony Davis had 36 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, and the New Orleans Pelicans pulled away down the stretch for a 114-95 victory over the reeling Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.
Second-year pro Frank Jackson scored a career-high 17 points for New Orleans, which had won two straight for the first time since winning three in a row in mid-November.
Mike Conley had 22 points and 10 assists for Memphis, but that was not nearly enough to stem what is now a six-game slide.
Davis’ thunderous jam on a feed from Jahlil Okafor along the baseline gave New Orleans the first double-digit lead in the game for either team at 76-66 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.
Jackson’s fast-break layup capped a 10-point outburst in a less than three-minute span that included two 3s and a reverse layup, putting the Pelicans up 83-71. And Holiday’s step-back 3 made it 86-73 as the third quarter expired.
Davis dunked seven times, the last after he received an underhanded, no-look pass from Holiday as he cut down the lane. The soaring, one-handed slam made it 107-85 with a little more than three minutes left, and New Orleans’ perennial All-Star went to the bench for good shortly afterward.
New Orleans dominated the inside, outscoring Memphis 70-42 in the paint and outrebounding the Grizzlies 40-36.
Still, most of the game was competitive. There were 11 lead changes and nine ties, and neither team led by more than six until Julius Randle’s dunk gave New Orleans an eight-point lead with five minutes left in the third. But that was the beginning of the end for Memphis, which has lost 13 of 16 after winning 15 of their first 24 games.
Randle finished with 15 points for New Orleans, while Holiday scored 13 and Elfrid Payton 11.
JaMychal Green scored 16 points for the Grizzlies, while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 12 points.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Justin Holiday, who is Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday’s younger brother, played in his second game for Memphis since being acquired from Chicago on Jan. 3, scoring four points – all on free throws – in 12:21 off the bench. … The Grizzlies fell to 8-13 on the road. … Memphis turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 23 Pelicans points.
Pelicans: Won two in a row for the first time since their Nov. 19 triumph capped a three-game winning streak. … Davis has at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in 11 straight games. … Wing player E’Twaun Moore was ruled out with bruised left thigh bruise. … Forward Nikola Mirotic missed his 12th straight game because of a right ankle injury, but coach Alvin Gentry said Mirotic is close to returning.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host San Antonio on Wednesday night.
Pelicans: Host Cleveland on Wednesday night.
