Pelicans (38-26), Kings (20-45)
SACRAMENTO – Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday are both in the midst of arguably the best stretches of their respective NBA careers, but New Orleans’ recent success hasn’t only been a two-man show. In extending their winning streak to a franchise record-tying 10 games Wednesday, several of the lesser-known Pelicans stepped to the forefront, helping the visitors build an 18-point halftime edge and win comfortably.
Unfortunately for New Orleans and Davis, the five-time All-Star exited the game in the third quarter with a left ankle sprain. X-rays on the injury were negative, and he was listed as questionable to return to the game, but he did not get back into action.
Nikola Mirotic, Ian Clark and E’Twaun Moore were among the New Orleans role players who started quickly, combining to score 31 first-half points, exactly half of their team’s total en route to a 62-44 intermission advantage. Sacramento was more competitive in the second half, but never seriously threatened the lead.
New Orleans will return home Friday to face Washington, the Pelicans’ first home game in 11 days.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Mirotic drained a left-wing three-pointer, then Holiday converted a traditional three-point play, giving New Orleans a 99-82 lead with 5:40 remaining. Sacramento had trimmed what was once a 23-point deficit down to near single digits, but the Pelicans only needed a final push to essentially settle matters.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Among the numerous positive signs that have occurred lately, Mirotic was tremendous at his forte during the three-game West road trip, repeatedly swishing open three-pointers. The forward enjoyed perhaps his best offensive performance Wednesday since joining the Pelicans, scoring 26 points on only 12 shots from the field. His 10/12 outing featured 4/6 three-point accuracy, making him 13/26 from deep on the perfect excursion to Dallas, Los Angeles and Sacramento.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“I feel fine. But I’m going to have the team doctor take a look at it (Thursday) and go from there.” – Davis, after being asked about the condition of his ankle and what the next step will be for evaluation
“Any time you twist an ankle it hurts, especially when you come down on somebody’s foot, because you really don’t have any protection. It was sore... I just wanted to make sure everything was fine... It’ll be alright.” – Davis in the postgame locker room, expressing optimism that his ankle will ultimately be OK
“Now everyone understands their role, what we need to do. Bench guys, starters. This is not a selfish team. We’ve been trying to find the guy who is hot at that moment. Rajon (Rondo) is doing a great job with that, and Jrue (on Tuesday in Los Angeles) had 17 assists.” – Mirotic on the Pelicans playing team basketball to excellent results
"It feels good to go back home, play in front of our fans again, sleep in our own beds. We've got to take care of business. We've got some tough teams coming in." - Davis on New Orleans now getting eight of its next nine games in the Smoothie King Center
“If you’re a New Orleans fan that team is playing very, very well. They’re well-coached, they’re in a rhythm, they’ve got experience and they’ve got shooting all over the place so they have a lot of space to make plays. It was tough cover for us tonight and obviously they shot the basketball well but they were very, very comfortable just looking over the top of us and just shooting. Hats off to them – like I said, they’re playing very well and wish them the best in the playoffs.” – Sacramento’s Dave Joerger on the Pelicans
BY THE NUMBERS
7: New Orleans road wins on this 10-game overall winning streak. The franchise record for consecutive away victories is eight, set by the Southwest Division-winning 2007-08 club.
41.9: Sacramento shooting percentage from the field, representing one of New Orleans’ better defensive performances lately. On the other end of the floor, NOLA shot 56.6 percent.
5: Davis blocked shots. He seemed to toy with the Kings at times on the defensive end, perhaps approaching his career high of nine until he had to exit due to the ankle injury.