Davis powers Pelicans past 76ers
PHILADELPHIA -- Anthony Davis collected 31 points and 16 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-93 on Tuesday night.
Terrence Jones added 17 points and 10 boards for the Pelicans, who salvaged the final contest of a three-game road trip with only their third victory in the last 11 games.
E'Twaun Moore contributed 15 points for New Orleans.
Ersan Ilyasova had 14 points to lead the Sixers, who lost for the ninth time in their last 10 home games, and the 11th time in 14 games overall.
Philadelphia, down by 18 early in the fourth quarter, sliced the deficit to 95-88 on a 3-pointer by Nik Stauskas with 5:27 left. The Sixers came up empty on their next seven possessions, fueling a 10-0 New Orleans run that included seven points by Davis.
That left the margin 105-88 with less than a minute to play.
The Sixers moved to a 21-11 lead late in the first quarter behind Embiid's seven points, but Moore, Jones and fellow reserve Tim Frazier combined for 25 second-quarter points, giving New Orleans a 14-point lead late in the period.
Davis also crammed 11 of his 14 first-half points into the final 2:55 of that quarter. In all, New Orleans outscored the Sixers 42-21 in the period, the Pelicans' highest-scoring quarter of the season, giving them a 57-44 halftime lead.
Moore finished the half with 13 points, while Frazier contributed 10 points and five assists.
Embiid had 11 to lead the Sixers.
The Pelicans went up 87-69 early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Dante Cunningham.
NOTES: F Solomon Hill started for the Pelicans after missing the two previous games to be with his wife for the birth of a daughter. ... G/F Nik Stauskas returned for Philadelphia after missing Sunday's victory over Brooklyn with a sore left knee. ... New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said Sixers C Joel Embiid is "as skilled a big man as there is in the league" before the game. "I don't know if there's any better," Gentry added. "When you put the whole package together as far as shooting the 3-point shot, footwork, he reminds me a little of (retired San Antonio star) Tim Duncan, but really the shooting range is better."