Hornets 122, Pelicans 113
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kemba Walker scored 35 points to lead seven Charlotte players in double figures, and the Hornets won their fifth straight with a 122-113 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
The Hornets withstood a two-man assault from the Pelicans' Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, who combined for 78 points. Davis finished with 40 points and 13 rebounds, and Holiday added 38 points and six assists.
The Hornets led by as many as 17 in the first half and never trailed, but they had to pull away again after the Pelicans rallied for a 109-109 tie with 3:19 left.
Walker's fall-away jumper with 2:51 gave Charlotte the lead for good, and then he tacked on four free throws on the Hornets' next two possessions. His 3-pointer with 26.2 seconds pushed the lead to nine and settled the outcome for good.
The Hornets (35-28) won for the 11th time in 13 games. The five-game winning streak matches their longest run of the season.
Walker scored 30 or more points for the fourth game in a row. He has scored 30 or more 12 times this season. He finished 9-for-18 from the field, 5-for-10 from 3-point range and 12-for-16 from the free-throw line.
The Hornets also got 16 points from Courtney Lee, 15 from Nicolas Batum, 14 from Marvin Williams, 13 from Cody Zeller, 12 from Jeremy Lin and 10 from Frank Kaminsky.
Davis was 14-for-26 from the field, Holiday 13-for-23.
The Pelicans also got 16 points from Toney Douglas.
New Orleans (24-39) has lost five of its past six.
The Hornets led 39-28 after one quarter, thanks to eight 3-pointers in the period. They led 71-60 at halftime and 99-90 after three quarters. The 71 first-half points matched a season best.
NOTES: The Pelicans signed G Orlando Johnson to a 10-day contract. He scored five points in 21 minutes during his NBA debut Wednesday. ... The Hornets were playing the third game of a seven-game homestand, their second seven-game homestand of the season. ... The Hornets went into the game with 645 3-pointers this season, a franchise record. They rank third in the NBA behind Golden State and Houston, averaging 10.4 triples per game. ... The Pelicans have had 29 different starting lineups this season. ... Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is a native of nearby Shelby, N.C., and graduated from Appalachian State. ... Pelicans F Anthony Davis is the only player in the NBA to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots per game. ... The Hornets have a busy stretch ahead, hosting Detroit on Friday, Houston on Saturday and Dallas on Monday. ... The Pelicans were starting a five-game trip. They play at Memphis on Friday and at Milwaukee on Saturday.