INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The New Orleans Pelicans appeared to be in big trouble. Then Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins took over.
Davis had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Cousins added 32 points and 13 boards and the Pelicans rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 117-112 on Tuesday night.
“I think our talent is different than a lot of bigs - there’s so many ways we can dominate a game,” Cousins said. “And I think we’re just scratching the surface right now. We can get so much better.”
Davis was 14 for 18 from the field in New Orleans’ third straight win. Cousins also had six assists.
“We’ve been doing this almost all season,” Davis said. “It’s all the other guys (on this team) that make mine and DeMarcus’ jobs easy.”
Indiana had six players score in double figures in its third straight loss. Myles Turner had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Victor Oladipo scored 15 points, and Bojan Bogdanovic and Lance Stephenson each had 14.
Indiana led 75-61 at halftime, but the Pelicans outscored the Pacers 35-19 in the third quarter. Indiana also blew a double-digit lead in a 108-101 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday.
“Same thing that happened the last two games,” Turner said. “We come out flat in the third quarter. They took advantage of it.”
Darren Collison’s corner 3-pointer with 1:31 left got Indiana within one, but Davis responded with a jumper for New Orleans. Jrue Holiday made a couple free throws and Cousins added a layup to help the Pelicans hold on.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Five of New Orleans’ six wins have come on the road. New Orleans’ lone home win came against the Cavaliers. … Darius Miller scored 12 points, and Jameer Nelson had 10.
Pacers: Thaddeus Young had 13 points, and Collison finished with 12. … Indiana shot 47.3 percent (44 for 93) from the field.
HOT START
The Pacers set a season high for points in the first quarter with 37. Indiana’s previous high was 33 points, a total it reached twice this season.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Visit Toronto on Thursday.
Pacers: Visit Detroit on Wednesday.
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