Pelicans 120, Suns 114
PHOENIX -- Forward Anthony Davis scored 26 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans pulled out a tough road win over the Phoenix Suns, 120-114, Friday night.
Davis' tip-in of a missed driving layup by guard Jrue Holiday with 20.5 seconds left broke a 112-112 tie. Holiday then hit four of four free throws, and guard Eric Gordon added a pair of foul shots to preserve the win.
Suns guard Brandon Knight had a game-high 29 points, including 20 in the first quarter. Forward Jon Leuer scored 20 points, and forward T.J. Warren and guard Eric Bledsoe added 18 points apiece. Bledsoe shot just 5-for-16 from the floor.
After Davis' tip-in, Bledsoe missed a reverse layup in the closing seconds. Suns forward Markieff Morris was called for a foul on the rebound, and the Pelicans closed it out.
Gordon had 23 points, while Pelicans guard Ish Smith had 20 points and 11 assists. Forward Ryan Anderson added 20 points, and Holiday scored 19.
The Pelicans (4-11) won their third straight after a poor start to the season.
New Orleans got the shots it wanted against the Suns, who were without defensive stopper Tyson Chandler (illness). They shot 51.9 percent from the field, including 10-for-22 on 3-pointers.
The Suns got off to a 9-0 lead in the first three minutes behind two layups and a 3-pointer by Knight.
They stretched the margin to 52-37 midway through the second quarter before the game began to change.
The Pelicans slowed the pace, stopped the Suns at their defensive end and closed the half with a 21-8 run to cut the gap to 60-58. During the run, Smith, a former Sun, hit a pair of 3-pointers, including one that just beat the halftime buzzer.
Davis and Anderson each had 14 points in the half, while Knight had 20 in the opening two quarters.
Smith also got the Pelicans' last basket of the third quarter on a 20-foot jumper as New Orleans took an 88-85 lead into the final quarter. Gordon had 10 points in the quarter.
NOTES: Suns C Tyson Chandler was out sick. C Alex Len started in his place and finished with two points and eight rebounds. ... Pelicans G/F Tyreke Evans sat out due to a sore right knee. ... New Orleans G Norris Cole (ankle), C Kendrick Perkins (pectoral) and G/F Quincy Pondexter (knee) are out. ... The Suns signed free agent G Bryce Cotton, who had been averaging 22.0 points on 59 percent shooting (62 percent from 3-point range) in four games with the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League. ... Pelicans G Ish Smith, picked up off the waiver wire, ranked No. 6 in the NBA with 7.9 assists per game through Tuesday. "We can't ask any more than what he's given us," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. ... In the previous seven games, Suns G Brandon Knight was averaging 25.0 points, 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.