Pelicans 111, Nets 91: Quincy Pondexter went 5-of-6 from 3-point range en route to 17 points as visiting New Orleans stayed hot and thrashed Brooklyn.

Alexis Ajinca scored 17 points off the bench while Eric Gordon and Norris Cole added 16 apiece for the Pelicans, who pulled into a virtual tie for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Omer Asik collected 12 points and 15 rebounds while Anthony Davis added 15 and six as New Orleans won for the ninth time in 11 games.

Brook Lopez had 15 points and nine boards while Jarrett Jack scored 15 off the bench for the Nets, who have dropped four straight to fall three games behind the eighth-place Charlotte Hornets in the East. Bojan Bogdanovic warmed up late to finish with 12 points for Brooklyn.

The Nets jumped out to a 17-4 lead just past the midway point of the first quarter and were up 14 before the Pelicans ended the period with a 12-2 run to chop the deficit to 27-23. Cole, Gordon and Pondexter each knocked down a 3-pointer and Davis hit a pair of jumpers in a 13-3 spurt closing the second that sent New Orleans into the break up 55-46.

The Pelicans kept that momentum up to start the second half and opened with a 15-4 burst capped by an alley-opp slam from Cole to Davis that pushed the lead to 20. The gap was 17 points heading into the fourth and Pondexter’s fourth 3-pointer of the period made it 102-79 with 4:46 remaining as Brooklyn went quietly.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Nets G Sergey Karasev suffered a leg injury with 6:09 left in the game and had to be helped off the court. … Tyreke Evans (ankle) sat out and is listed as day-to-day for New Orleans, which went 12-of-21 from 3-point range. … Brooklyn G Alan Anderson suffered a bruised tailbone after taking a hard fall and did not return.