Davis, Pelicans pound Lakers
NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis scored 41 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans ended a two-game losing streak with their fifth consecutive home victory, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 105-88 Tuesday night in the Smoothie King Center.
It was the seventh time this season that Davis, the NBA's leading scorer, amassed at least 35 points and 10 rebounds in a game. The Pelicans (7-12) haven't lost at home since a 126-99 drubbing against the Lakers on Nov. 12. They will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Los Angeles (9-10), already playing without point guard D'Angelo Russell (knee), lost shooting guard Nick Young to a strained right Achilles just 1:50 into the game.
The Lakers announced that Young would undergo an MRI exam Wednesday in Chicago, where Los Angeles plays the Bulls that night.
Omer Asik supported Davis with a double-double of his own, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 22 points.
Lou Williams led the Lakers with 16 points off the bench, Julius Randle had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Timofey Mozgov finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Pelicans led 65-41 at halftime, and they maintained a lead of 20-plus points for most of the third quarter.
The Lakers chipped away with a series of dunks as Randle made one, Mozgov made two in a row and Larry Nance Jr. made one to cut the deficit to 80-63.
Davis ended the run with a driving basket, then followed with a 3-pointer, and New Orleans had an 89-63 lead after three quarters.
NOTES: New Orleans G Jrue Holiday made his first start after coming off the bench for his first six games this season. He missed the first 12 games to be with his wife, who gave birth and underwent brain surgery. ... F Julius Randle returned to the Lakers' lineup after a three-game absence caused by a hip pointer. ... The Pelicans recently signed former Lakers G Anthony Brown, a second-year player that Los Angeles released Oct. 24. He scored seven points Tuesday. "It was a very hard decision to make," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "I felt for what we needed as a team, we needed more veteran leadership (in Nick Young and Metta World Peace)." ... New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said the team misses the 3-point shooting of F Dante Cunningham, who is expected to miss a month due to a broken leg. Cunningham's .410 3-point percentage leads a team tied for the fifth-worst percentage in the NBA (.329).