Pelicans 130, Nuggets 125
DENVER -- Center Anthony Davis shook off an illness to score 27 points, and he blocked four shots in the fourth quarter, helping the New Orleans Pelicans rally to beat the Denver Nuggets 130-125 Sunday night.
Guard Tyreke Evans had 21 points and 10 assists, guard Jrue Holiday had 21 off the bench, and guard Eric Gordon scored 20 for the Pelicans (8-19).
Guard Will Barton scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Denver, which lost forwards Darrell Arthur (right knee soreness) and Danilo Gallinari (left ankle sprain) while dropping its second straight.
Forward Kenneth Faried had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets (11-16).
Davis scored 19 points in the first quarter but sat out the second and third quarters because of an illness. Without him, the Pelicans fell behind by seven at half and were down 82-77 when Gallinari sustained a left ankle sprain.
With Gallinari out, New Orleans went on a 14-0 run to take a nine-point lead. Denver rallied to go ahead 109-104 early in the fourth on a trio of 3-pointers from Barton.
Davis returned with 8:20 left in the game and scored two quick buckets to get the Pelicans within 109-108.
Barton hit his seventh 3-pointer of the game to put Denver ahead 114-108, but New Orleans went on a 13-2 run to take the lead back.
Davis blocked three shots in the final 1:49 of the game when the Pelicans pulled away.
His dominance was magnified by his absence after he left in the final 30 seconds of the first quarter. Without him, the Nuggets scored 20 paint points and 43 overall in the second period to take a 74-67 halftime lead.
The 74 points were the most in any half this season for the Nuggets and the most allowed by New Orleans.
NOTES: New Orleans C Alexis Ajinca was inactive Sunday, missing his second consecutive game due to a left calf strain. Ajinca sustained the injury Wednesday in a win at Phoenix. ... Nuggets G Emmanuel Mudiay continues to sit with a right ankle injury. Coach Michael Malone said it is the same type of injury that forced Mudiay to miss all but 10 games for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association last year, and the team wants to make sure he is close to 100 percent before he returns. ... Pelicans G Eric Gordon entered play Sunday eighth in the NBA in made 3-pointers with 62. ... Nuggets F Darrell Arthur, who missed two games with right knee soreness last week, is off minutes restrictions.