Davis shines as Pelicans trim Lakers
NEW ORLEANS—The New Orleans Pelicans pulled away from the reeling Los Angeles Lakers in the second half to win 109-102 on Wednesday, with Anthony Davis having 25 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots for the hosts.
Elsewhere, Houston won the first regular-season game played in Mexico in 17 years by defeating Minnesota, Indiana took the lead late and beat Miami, while Portland dominated the first half to extend Denver’s losing streak.
New Orleans outscored Los Angeles, 60-34, in the key and shot 54.9 percent compared to 41.7 for the Lakers.
Tyreke Evans had 19 points and 11 assists while Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday each added 17 points for the Pelicans.
Kobe Bryant scored 33 on 10-of-28 shooting for Los Angeles, which has seven losses in eight games to start the new season.
Houston’s Dwight Howard had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Rockets to a 113-101 victory over Minnesota in Mexico City.
Howard, who missed the Rockets’ only loss of the season Saturday against Golden State, came back strongly, shooting 9 of 16 from the field and blocking four shots in 33 minutes.
James Harden scored 23 points and added 10 assists for the Rockets, who tied Memphis for the best record in the Western Conference at 7-1.
Indiana’s Chris Copeland scored 17 points and put his team ahead to stay on a layup with 43 seconds left, as the undermanned Pacers beat Miami, 81-75.
Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 15 rebounds for Indiana, which won the rebounds 53-28 despite missing four of the five starters from their previous meeting with the Heat in last year’s playoffs.
Dwyane Wade scored 20 for Miami, which trailed by seven in the fourth quarter.
Portland’s Damian Lillard had 27 points and a season-high nine assists as the Trail Blazers beat Denver, 130-113.
Washington held off Detroit to win 107-103, with John Wall having 27 points and 11 assists.
Oklahoma City overcame a slew of injuries to beat Boston, 109-94, while Atlanta’s Paul Millsap had 30 points and 17 rebounds to help the Hawks defeat Utah, 100-97.
Phoenix’s Gerald Green came off the bench to score 28 points and help the Suns erase a 19-point deficit to beat Brooklyn, 112-104. AP
