The Sports Xchange
Dec 13, 2017
NEW ORLEANS -- DeMarcus Cousins scored a team-high 26 points, including a 3-pointer from the left wing with 22 seconds left, and Anthony Davis added 25 points to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 115-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans (15-14) trailed 94-87 early in the fourth quarter but outscored the Bucks 28-14 in the final 10 minutes. Cousins added 13 rebounds, and Davis had 10 boards. E'Twaun Moore had 21 points for the Pelicans.
The Bucks (15-11) were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo with a game-high 32 points.
Milwaukee scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to take a 94-87 lead, but the Pelicans responded with a 12-4 run to pull back in front, 99-98, with 7:01 left. Davis did most of the damage with six points on a jumper, two free throws and a tip-in.
New Orleans then began to pull away, scoring nine of the next 12 points, with Cousins highlighting the 21-7 run with a one-hand rebound of a missed 3-pointer by Jameer Nelson and tomahawking home a dunk for a 106-101 lead.
Cousins followed up by feeding Holiday for a layup to put New Orleans up 108-101 with 3:39 left.
The Bucks took a six-point lead in the third quarter, but the Pelicans scored the final six points of the period to take an 87-85 lead entering the fourth. Holiday had eight points in the quarter for New Orleans.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 21 first-half points on 10-of-15 shooting. The Bucks converted 11 New Orleans turnovers into 21 points, and they held a 21-7 edge in that category.
New Orleans shot 59 percent in the first half -- 23 of 39 -- and made 8-of-14 3-pointers but still trailed 63-62 at halftime. Cousins had 15 and Davis 13 In the first half.
NOTES: Pelicans F Anthony Davis played despite a sore left adductor muscle. ... Darius Miller has made multiple 3-pointers in 13 of his last 16 games. ... Milwaukee C Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored at least 30 points in 12 of 26 games this season. ... The Bucks have scored at least 100 points in 10 consecutive games and have gone (7-2). ... DeMarcus Cousins had an ugly end of the first half. With the Pelicans milking the final seconds on the clock, holding a 62-61 lead, Cousins turned the ball over at the top the key and the fouled John Henson with 1.0 second left. Henson made two free throws for a 63-61 Milwaukee lead. ... In the second half, Cousins got into a shouting match with a fan sitting at courtside.