Pelicans 109, Mavericks 106
Anthony Davis collected 28 points, 10 rebounds and five steals as New Orleans held off a late rally and edged visiting Dallas.
Tyreke Evans had 24 points and 12 assists for the Pelicans, who snapped a nine-game losing streak in the series. Ryan Anderson scored 18 points off the bench and Quincy Pondexter added 14 in a reserve role as New Orleans improved to 14-5 at home.
Monta Ellis scored 36 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 24 to lead the Mavericks. Rajon Rondo recorded 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds while Dwight Powell scored 10 points off the bench for Dallas.
The Pelicans held a 96-88 lead after Davis’ jumper with 9:10 left, but the Mavericks responded with a 14-3 run capped by Nowitzki’s 3-pointer with 3:54 left to take a 102-99 lead. New Orleans grabbed a one-point advantage on Evans’ layup with 23 seconds left before Ellis responded with a go-ahead layup of his own. Davis hit four free throws in the final 12 seconds and Ellis was off the mark on a tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Anderson scored all of his points in the first half to help the Pelicans take a 61-56 lead into the break, and Omer Asik’s tip extended it out to 81-71 with 5:18 left in the third. The Mavericks fought to within 85-84 with under two minutes left in the period before settling for an 89-84 deficit heading to the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Davis stole an inbounds pass after hitting the go-ahead free throws and then knocked down two more to cap a 12-of-14 day at the line. … Pelicans G Eric Gordon was held to nine points to snap a string of nine straight games in double figures. … Dallas C Tyson Chandler had to be carried off the court after knocking knees with Davis, but X-rays came back negative and he returned to the game.