(Field Level Media) Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle combined to score 65 points and help the host New Orleans Pelicans overcome the loss of All-Star forward Anthony Davis in a 131-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder last night.
Randle had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and Holiday added 32 points. Davis missed the second half due to a shoulder injury he sustained late in the first half, finishing with 14 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.
It wasn’t immediately known whether the injury would keep Davis out of the All-Star Game on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.
E’Twaun Moore scored 15 points and Jahlil Okafor had 12 as New Orleans bounced back from having its lowest point totals of the season in its two most recent games — a 99-90 loss at Memphis on Saturday and a 118-88 home loss to Orlando on Tuesday.
Russell Westbrook extended his NBA record by producing an 11th consecutive triple-double, finishing with 44 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Thunder, who had won four straight and 11 of 12. Paul George added 28 points, and Nerlens Noel had 22.
The Pelicans led by three at halftime when Davis was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Five New Orleans players scored during a 17-5, third-quarter run that gave New Orleans a 91-74 cushion.
Westbrook had nine points and two assists as Oklahoma City cut the deficit to 101-89 at the end of the third quarter.
The Pelicans twice led by 13 while Westbrook was resting early in the fourth quarter, but shortly after he returned, he had two baskets and two assists to help the Thunder get within 117-113 with five minutes remaining.
Oklahoma City pulled within three points three times, but each time Randle answered with a basket.
The Pelicans pushed the pace from the outset, and the game was tied at 31 after the first quarter.
Westbrook and George heated up in the second quarter, scoring 15 and 10, respectively, in the period, but New Orleans led by as many as nine points before settling for a 66-63 halftime lead.
