Field Level Media
Jan 20, 2018
DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis played their first game since being named starters in the NBA All-Star Game, but Pelicans teammate Jrue Holiday commanded equal billing in a 111-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night in the Smoothie King Center.
Holiday scored a team-high 27 points as the Pelicans got their first victory over the Grizzlies after two losses earlier in the season. Cousins had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Davis had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Darius Miller came off the bench to score 12.
Wayne Selden led the Grizzlies with a career-high 31 points, Marc Gasol scored 16, Tyreke Evans had 12, Jarell Martin had 11 and Dillon Brooks and Ben McLemore scored 10 points each before both fouled out. JaMychal Green had 16 rebounds and eight points, but missed most of the second half after suffering an injury to his right ankle.
The Pelicans led by 15 at halftime, but the Grizzlies scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to start a 16-2 run that pulled them within a point.
New Orleans responded with 10 straight points before Memphis heated up from outside. The Grizzlies made five 3-pointers, including two each by Selden and Martin, to pull within 83-81 after three quarters. Memphis made a franchise-record nine 3-pointers in the quarter.
Holiday started the fourth-quarter scoring with a three-point play before the Grizzlies cut the lead to three points six times without getting closer.
E'Twaun Moore's 3-pointer and Holiday's basket pushed the lead to eight before Gasol's 3-pointer started another Memphis push.
Selden's 3-pointer pulled the Grizzlies within 106-102, but Davis answered with a dunk with 1:15 left.
Gasol made two free throws, but missed a 3-pointer moments later.
Holiday made two free throws to give New Orleans a 110-104 lead with 10 seconds left.
The Pelicans made 17 of 19 free throws as they grabbed a 34-18 lead after one quarter.
They made just 1 of 3 free throws in the second quarter, but still led by as many as 21 points on their way to a 59-44 halftime lead.
--Field Level Media