Pelicans (24-37), Pistons (29-32)
Among New Orleans’ top three offensive weapons, one of them was sidelined
Wednesday. Fortunately for the Pelicans, the other two delivered in a big way.
With Anthony Davis (33 points) providing his usual offensive fireworks – against
a Detroit team he regularly terrorizes – and Jrue Holiday (22 points) bouncing
back from three straight rough outings, New Orleans broke through for its first
win since the All-Star break. The Pelicans were playing without DeMarcus Cousins
due to a one-game NBA suspension, but still managed to ride the exploits of
Davis and Holiday to a comfortable win.
Detroit frontcourt star Andre Drummond contributed to a late-game New Orleans
surge by getting ejected in the third quarter, after pushing Tim Frazier in the
head during a dead ball. Frazier had stolen the ball from behind under the
basket, causing Drummond to react angrily and shove the Pelicans’ backup guard.
New Orleans’ lead was just 73-67 at the time of Drummond’s ejection, but the
hosts immediately scored the next five points and seized momentum.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
E’Twaun Moore dropped in a floater over two Detroit defenders for an and-one,
then sank the free throw to give the Pelicans a 99-82 lead with 3:42 remaining.
The Pelicans were up by a modest 78-70 margin entering the fourth quarter, but
turned it on to build their biggest lead of the evening up to that stage. New
Orleans eventually went up 25.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Davis entered Wednesday averaging 29.0 points in seven career games vs. Detroit,
the most for him against any opponent. He upped that total by netting 33 points,
to go with 14 rebounds in a dominant performance. The four-time All-Star has now
scored 30-plus in three straight games, with 39 at Dallas and 38 at Oklahoma
City on the weekend. He had 29 vs. Houston in the first game after the All-Star
hiatus.
