Davis Scores 20 As Pelicans Rout Lakers, 113-92
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 20 points and the New Orleans Pelicans inched closer to a possible playoff berth with a 113-92 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
New Orleans' third straight victory, coupled with Oklahoma City's 135-131 loss to Dallas, brought the Pelicans within 1 1/2 games of the Thunder for eighth place in the Western Conference and completed a four-game season sweep of the Lakers.
Six players scored in double digits for New Orleans, including Norris Cole with 17 off the bench. Reserve forward Ryan Anderson played for the first time since Feb. 21, getting 17 points in 22 minutes after missing 18 games because of a sprained right knee.
Jordan Clarkson had 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the lottery-bound Lakers, who dropped to 11-25 at home and 20-53 overall. Jeremy Lin had 10 points in 28 minutes after sitting out two games with an upper respiratory infection.
Jabari Brown, signed to a multiyear contract Wednesday after his second 10-day contract expired, finished with six points as the first player off the bench.
The Pelicans increased a 10-point lead to 81-61 with a 13-4 run triggered by Davis' alley-oop dunk and capped by Eric Gordon's 3-pointer with 5:25 left in the third quarter. Los Angeles got no closer than 17 in the fourth after Cole's 3-pointer gave New Orleans its biggest lead, 95-70, with 10:50 to play.
The Lakers shot 63.2 percent in the first quarter, but New Orleans led 60-49 at halftime with the help of Anderson's back-to-back 3s and Tyreke Evans' buzzer-beating layup in the final 1:10 of the second quarter. Evans had 16 points and eight assists.
The Lakers have been swept in a season series of four or more games by three teams in 2014-15, including Phoenix and Memphis. In the previous 20 seasons, only four clubs did that to them -- the Clippers (2012-13), Suns (2004-05), San Antonio (2004-05) and Oklahoma City (2000-01).
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Three of their next four games are against Western Conference teams that are first in their respective divisions -- Portland, Golden State and Memphis. The Grizzlies are tied with Houston for the top spot in the Southwest. ... Davis averaged 24.1 points in the four meetings this season with the Lakers. ... The Pelicans were 11-7 during Anderson's absence. ... This is the Pelicans' second season since changing their nickname. They were 0-11 against the Lakers during their last three seasons as the Hornets, but have won six of seven meetings since then.
Lakers: They are 0-8 at home this season against Southwest Division clubs, and 0-15 under those circumstances since beating the Pelicans 116-95 on Nov. 12, 2013. ... Injured star Kobe Bryant took his seat on the bench midway through the first quarter as the Staples Center organist played the opening fanfare from 20th Century Fox movies. ... The Lakers have a losing record on every day of the week, including 2-10 on Wednesdays. ... Byron Scott is two losses from having the worst first season of any Lakers coach in the franchise's 67-year history. They were 27-55 last season under Mike D'Antoni.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: At Sacramento on Friday.
Lakers: Host Portland on Friday.
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