National Basketball Association
Washington 109, New Orleans 89
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia
Officials: #56 Mark Ayotte, #30 John Goble, #59 Gary Zielinski
Attendance: 15743

WASHINGTON -- Anthony Davis normally receives oodles of defensive attention.

After the New Orleans Pelicans star's scoring spree in his previous outing, there was no way the Washington Wizards were letting the big man have another big game.

Guard John Wall registered his second triple-double of the season, and the Wizards collectively silenced Davis for a 109-89 win over the Pelicans on Tuesday night.

Wall finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Wizards, who have won three of four since the All-Star break.

Washington (26-29) outscored New Orleans 31-14 in the third quarter for an 85-65 lead, and it led by 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Wizards center Marcin Gortat had 21 points, and forward Jared Dudley sank six 3-pointers for 18 points. The effort on the other end of the court fueled the victory.

Davis mustered only nine points on 3-of-9 shooting for the Pelicans (22-34) after scoring 59 points on 24-of-34 shooting Sunday in a win over the Detroit Pistons.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Davis had the second-biggest scoring drop-off in NBA history following a 55-plus-point game. San Antonio's Tony Parker went from 55 points to four in 2008.

"I just think they tried to double-team me, deny me the ball -- a lot," Davis said.

There was little reason to focus elsewhere. None of New Orleans' starters scored in double figures, as the Pelicans shot a season-low 34.9 percent from the field.

"They did a great job on him," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of the defense against Davis. "A guy gets 59, I guarantee you game-plan for him the next game."

The Wizards took command with a 14-0 run during the third quarter for a 68-51 lead as Dudley hit three 3-pointers.

"I think we came out and got some defensive stops, held them from scoring, and (Dudley) got hot," Wall said.

Davis did grab 20 rebounds for the second game in a row, but Washington won the battle of the boards 55-48. The Wizards had the winning defensive plan, as multiple defenders fronted and played behind Davis throughout.

"We kept a body on him," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.

Davis expected the extra attention was coming his way.

"Yeah, I already knew, that's why we tried to prepare for it in practice yesterday and then shoot-around (Tuesday)," Davis said. "We worked on it, but we missed shots early, and they just stayed with their coverage."

Washington held an opponent under 90 points for the third time in four games.

Guard Jrue Holiday scored 20 points and forward Ryan Anderson had 16 points for the Pelicans, who had won four of five games before Tuesday's loss.

Washington made 12 of 26 3-pointers during its season-high fourth straight home win, which came after a 114-94 loss at Miami on Saturday. New Orleans went 6-for-23 from beyond the arc.

Wall was just 5-for-17 from the field, but he hit two 3-pointers during the laugher of a final period. The first bomb gave the All-Star his second triple-double of the month. He had 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in Washington's win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 5.

The point guard's third 3-pointer of the game put Washington up 101-80.

As for the triple-double, Wall joked he could achieve them with greater frequency, but he defers to Washington's man in the middle.

"Sometimes Gortat gets upset I'm stealing his rebounds, so I try to stay out of the way," Wall cracked.

Gortat still had 11 rebounds.

New Orleans committed 17 turnovers, which Washington turned into 19 points.

Washington forward Markieff Morris scored six points in his third game since being acquired from the Phoenix Suns before the NBA trading deadline.

NOTES: New Orleans C Omer Asik could be out two weeks after spraining his right ankle, coach Alvin Gentry said. The injury occurred Sunday during a win over the Detroit Pistons. Alexis Ajinca replaced Asik in the starting lineup Tuesday and scored seven points. ... Wizards F Alan Anderson (ankle surgery) practiced Monday but remained inactive. The veteran swingman hasn't played for Washington this season. ... The Pelicans entered Tuesday leading the NBA in bench scoring with 42.8 points per game. The team's top scorers at Washington were both reserves. ... New Orleans plays host to Oklahoma City on Thursday. Washington's two-game road swing begins Wednesday at Chicago. The Wizards won the first meeting with the Bulls 114-110 on the road last month.
Top Game Performances
 
New Orleans   Washington
Jrue Holiday 20 Scoring Marcin Gortat 21
Jrue Holiday 7 Assists John Wall 11
Anthony Davis 20 Rebounds John Wall 12
Toney Douglas 6 Free Throws Made John Wall 3
Ryan Anderson 2 Steals Markieff Morris 2
Dante Cunningham 2 Blocks Marcin Gortat 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New Orleans 89 34.9 6-23 25-33 17 48 4 8 17
Washington 109 45.7 12-26 11-17 29 55 4 9 15
Upcoming Games
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Wizards have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .533 after a loss.
  • New Orleans will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .391 after a win and .394 after a loss.