National Basketball Association
New Orleans 118, Orlando 98
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Officials: #37 Eric Dalen, #31 Scott Wall, #60 James Williams
Attendance: 15818

NEW ORLEANS -- For the second consecutive game, New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis missed time while getting X-rays, but this time it didn't matter.

Davis, who did not return to a 98-95 loss at Indiana on Monday after a third-quarter fall left him with a sprained left thumb and a right hip contusion, missed much of the second quarter Wednesday night while having X-rays on his left hand.

Those X-rays were negative just as they were two days earlier, but this time Davis returned and led six New Orleans scorers in double figures in a 118-98 victory against the Orlando Magic in the Smoothie King Center.

Davis finished with game-highs of 21 points 14 rebounds and had plenty of help as the Pelicans had their highest point total in a regulation game this season.

Langston Galloway and Tyreke Evans came off the bench to score 18 apiece, Dante Cunningham had a season-high 14, Jrue Holiday added 14 and rookie Buddy Hield chipped in with 10.

New Orleans' previous high in a regulation game was 117 in a victory against Minnesota. The Pelicans scored 121 points and 120 in overtime victories against Charlotte and Phoenix, respectively.

"It was just a good win," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "I thought we really did a good job of locking in."

Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 14 points apiece, Jeff Green scored 13, Serge Ibaka had 11 and Nikola Vucevic and D.J. Augustin added 10 each.

Davis, who didn't score in the second quarter, scored four of the Pelicans' first seven points in the third quarter as they increased a 13-point halftime lead to 16.

The Magic scored the next eight points, but the Pelicans answered with the next six. Five Pelicans scored during a 14-9 run that left New Orleans with a 92-73 lead after three quarters.

"We have to figure it out," Orlando coach Frank Vogel said. "We have to stay together, we have to keep our heads up, keep believing in what we are and can be. We just aren't happy about how we played tonight. I'm not, they're not."

Galloway made back-to-back 3-pointers as the lead quickly grew to 28 points at the outset of the fourth quarter.

"When we got stops, we were able to get out in transition and test (their) defense,"Galloway said. "Our defense was great tonight. Once we got stops, we were out. We got the transitions. As we continue to get better as a group and continue to morph into how we want to roll, that's definitely key with playing transition and getting stops and defense."

The Magic scored nine consecutive points to take a 23-18 lead midway through a high-scoring first quarter.

Davis stopped the run with a dunk and he later scored New Orleans' final five points as it took a 32-29 lead after one quarter.

During the quarter break, Davis went to the locker room for the X-rays. The Magic initially took advantage of Davis' absence, pulling within 43-41, but Hield, Evans and Galloway each made a 3-pointer as New Orleans built the margin to 54-41.

That was the score when Davis returned with 4:55 left in the second quarter.

After Davis' return, Orlando scored the next nine points, but New Orleans finished on an 11-2 run to take a 65-52 halftime lead.

Magic guard Jodie Meeks left the game in the second half and did not return because of a right thumb injury. X-rays were negative.

The Pelicans (17-26) host New Jersey on Friday. The Magic (17-27) host Milwaukee on Friday.

"We need to win," Green said. "The next game is important. The only way we can get through this is to win. It's only five-on-five, so we need to stick together to make sure we're prepared for the next game."

NOTES: G Evan Fournier, Orlando's leading scorer, missed his fourth consecutive game because of a sore right heel. ... The game tipped off the Pelicans' season-long six-game homestand. ... It also concluded a season-long six-game road trip for the Magic, who lost four of their first five games on the trip. ... Orlando entered the game having won the last four meetings in the series and was going for a season sweep. ...New Orleans general manager Dell Demps played for the Magic during the 1996-97 season. ... Pelicans G E'Twaun Moore was a member of the Magic from 2012-2014. ... Orlando G D.J. Augustin is a native of New Orleans and teammate Elfrid Payton is from Gretna, La., which is just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.
Top Game Performances
 
Orlando   New Orleans
Aaron Gordon 14 Scoring Anthony Davis 21
Nikola Vucevic 5 Assists Tyreke Evans 5
Aaron Gordon 8 Rebounds Anthony Davis 13
Jeff Green 2 Free Throws Made Langston Galloway 4
Jeff Green 2 Steals Jrue Holiday 5
Serge Ibaka 5 Blocks Jrue Holiday 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Orlando 98 44.3 11-32 9-11 18 47 5 6 18
New Orleans 118 49.5 15-36 11-15 28 45 5 11 9
Upcoming Games
  • New Orleans will play their next game at home against Brooklyn. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .438 after a win and .370 after a loss.
  • Orlando will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Magic have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .423 after a loss.