Wizards pull away late, sink Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS -- Bradley Beal scored a team-high 27 points and Markieff Morris added 21 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to spark the Washington Wizards to a 107-94 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at the Smoothie King Center.
The Wizards (27-20), who won for the 11th time in the last 13 games, also got 18 points and 19 assists from guard John Wall.
The Pelicans (19-29) cut a 17-point deficit to three in the fourth quarter but could not get over the hump despite Anthony Davis' game-high 36 points and 17 rebounds. Guard Jrue Holiday had 26 points and 11 assists for New Orleans.
Morris scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter for Washington, including a 3-pointer from the right wing, to extend its lead to 83-76.
But Davis scored the next eight points for New Orleans, finishing off a no-look feed from Donatas Motiejunas for a dunk and cutting the deficit to 87-84.
The Wizards responded with back-to-back 3-pointers by Morris and Beal and a knifing layup by Wall to extend their lead to 95-84.
The Pelicans had soared back from a 17-point halftime deficit to outscore the Wizards 33-16 in the third quarter and trailed just 74-73 entering the final period. Davis and Holiday combined for 27 of New Orleans' 33 points in the quarter.
Actually, the Pelicans took the lead 73-72 on an 18-foot jumper by Davis. That marked the first time the Wizards had trailed in a game in a span of 177 minutes, 1 second.
The Wizards continued their torrid pace, using a 13-1 run toward the end of the second quarter to take a 57-40 halftime lead. Wall put an exclamation point on the run with a step-back jumper from the right baseline, giving him 12 points for the half. Wall also dished out nine assists in the half.
The Wizards relied on balanced scoring in the first, getting 12 points from Beal and 11 points and seven rebounds from Marcin Gortat.
The Pelicans were outscored 28-17 in the second quarter, which they started by missing 12 of their first 13 shots. Holiday had 13 and three assists while Davis added eight points and six rebounds for New Orleans.
The Pelicans just 3 of 16 from 3-point range.
NOTES: Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said he likes the way his team has played over the last two months. After a series of injuries contributed to a 2-10 start, the Pelicans have gone 17-18 entering Sunday's game against Washington. "I think that we've got multiple personalities, but I think that, for the most part, we've played pretty good and pretty solid," Gentry said. ... Gentry said the Pelicans can draw inspiration from the Wizards, who have rebounded from a 3-9 start and are fighting for the fourth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "I think it gives you hope that, somewhere along the line, you can put together a string of wins where you can get back involved in the playoffs," Gentry said. ... Washington coach Scott Brooks said he was thrilled with his team's resilience after its slow start. "We're playing good basketball since December," Brooks said. "If we don't keep doing what we've done, that could change. We're getting healthy. Guys are comfortable playing alongside one another."