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Pelicans bench one key to move into eighth place in West

One of the NBA’s premier shooters has begun rounding into form. A valuable in-season addition is providing a jolt of energy on a nightly basis. A few younger contributors are capitalizing on more consistent roles.

A combination of factors has helped make New Orleans’ bench more effective in December than it had been in the previous month, one reason the Pelicans recently moved into eighth place in the Western Conference standings. After being one of the league’s least productive benches statistically early in 2014-15, the team’s reserve group has been leaned on more heavily lately by fifth-year coach Monty Williams. Perhaps the most prominent illustration was Tuesday’s 119-111 win over Utah, when Ryan Anderson (the elite sharpshooter), Dante Cunningham (the energy guy/rebounder/scorer) and Austin Rivers (one of NOLA’s early-20s subs) each played more than 25 minutes and sparked a fourth-quarter rally.

The second unit, which also has featured center Jeff Withey and guard Jimmer Fredette in recent games, outscored Utah 52-27 and accounted for nine of New Orleans’ 24 assists vs. the Jazz. Aside from the statistics, the reserves ignited the Pelicans and a Smoothie King Center crowd that didn’t have much to cheer about in the first three quarters.

“The scoring looks great after the output we had (vs. Utah), but I just thought our bench energy was really good,” Williams said. “Dante’s been a catalyst for that. Ryan was good scoring the ball. Austin was good getting over screens and Jeff was decent last night in pick-and-roll, and at the rim. He’s playing with a level of energy that we really need.”

Anderson is one of the NBA’s most talented sixth men but had been in an uncharacteristic shooting slump for much of the season, including a career low in three-point percentage. During the Pelicans’ 2-1 homestand, Anderson was 16-for-32 on treys (50 percent) and 24-for-49 overall, despite a cold night vs. Golden State.

“They’ve been aggressive, especially Ryan,” starting shooting guard Tyreke Evans said of the bench. “Even when he has a bad night, he’s still being aggressive. We want him to shoot the ball. That’s what he does for us.”

Cunningham was signed Dec. 4 and immediately began making a difference, supplying mid-range shooting, hard-nosed rebounding and hustle plays. The sixth-year NBA veteran is shooting 52.8 percent from the field in eight games since joining the Pelicans.

Rivers played one of his best games of 2014-15 on Tuesday when he posted 12 points in 27 minutes, including eight key points in the fourth quarter. Withey and Fredette have both been out of the rotation for chunks of the season, but played notable minutes in all three games of the homestand.

New Orleans will continue to need numerous contributions to stay ahead of surging Oklahoma City (12-13, seven-game winning streak) and several other close pursuers such as Phoenix and Sacramento. Although a .500 record has been enough to vault the Pelicans into the top eight, it’s unlikely that will remain the case in the near future. Prior to Jan. 1, New Orleans will face a handful of formidable Western opponents, including Houston (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.), Portland (Saturday at home), Oklahoma City (Sunday), San Antonio (twice) and Phoenix (Dec. 30 at home).