Pelicans ride Davis' hot start to win over Wolves
NEW ORLEANS -- Forward Anthony Davis scored a franchise-record 21 points in the first quarter and finished with a game-high 45 points and 10 rebounds to lift the surging New Orleans Pelicans to their fourth consecutive victory, a 117-96 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
Davis made 17 of 27 from the floor, sparking the Pelicans (6-10) to their fifth victory in six games.
The Timberwolves (4-10) were led by guard Zach LaVine, who had 16 of his team-high 26 points in the first half.
The Pelicans used a 26-4 burst in the middle of the third quarter -- with Davis scoring 12 of those points -- to pull away to an 83-61 lead. New Orleans outscored Minnesota 36-18 in the period on the strength of 64 percent shooting. The Wolves, meanwhile, made just 28 percent from the floor in the quarter.
Minnesota guard Andrew Wiggins, who entered the game shooting 7 of 29 in his last two games, continued his slump, going 2 of 19 from the floor and finishing with 13 points in 30 minutes.
Davis hit 8 of 11 first-quarter shots as New Orleans took a 31-26 lead.
The Pelicans shot 63 percent in the first quarter, but the Wolves stayed close by driving into the lane and drawing contacts. They made 12 of 14 free throws in the period.
The Pelicans finally cooled off from the perimeter, and Minnesota forced them into 11 consecutive empty possessions in an 11-0 run to take a 46-38 lead in the second quarter.
However, Davis, with five points, sparked a 15-4 run to close out the second quarter with New Orleans holding a 53-50 lead. Terrence Jones had a pair of dunks in the surge.
Minnesota failed to score in the final 3:32 of the half.
NOTES: Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said he doesn't want to temper Anthony Davis' pedal-to-the-metal style of play, even if flying around the courts leads to nagging injuries. Davis played only 18 minutes in a 112-94 road victory over Atlanta on Tuesday night after bruising his right knee diving for a ball. "I shudder when he goes into the cheap seats," Gentry said. "But that's just who he is. He's going to play hard. You can't talk about, 'Don't make this play, don't make that play,' because those are the times you end up getting hurt. You just got to let a guy play." ... The Pelicans were 3-0 and outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 11.6 points with PG Rue Holiday back in the lineup. ... Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Davis on the 2014 U.S. FIBA World Cup team, said he's been impressed with Davis' development. "Every year he gets better," Thibodeau said. When you look back on where he was two or three years ago and where he is today, it's a quantum leap."