NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ John Wall had 15 points and 12 assists, and the Washington Wizards ended their longest skid of the season at three games with a 92-85 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
Paul Pierce scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting for Washington, which had five players in double figures. Andre Miller added 12 points, and Marcin Gortat and Kris Humphries each had 10.
Anthony Davis had 21 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which led only once _ by a single point in the first 4 minutes of the game.
Tyreke Evans, playing despite an illness that kept him out of the team’s shootaround earlier in the day, scored 21 points.
Pelicans guard Eric Gordon, returning from a left shoulder injury, played for the first time in 21 games, but scored only six points in 33 minutes.
Ryan Anderson scored 14 for New Orleans, including a 3pointer that pulled the Pelicans to 81-77 with 5:13 left.
At that point, New Orleans, which entered 11-4 at home, looked primed to make a run, but instead slipped up on both ends of the floor.
Humphries tipped in Bradley Beal’s missed jumper, then Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, who had 13 points, lost the ball on the other end. Humphries struck again, sneaking behind New Orleans’ defense late in the shot clock for a dunk.
Wall’s jumper with just under two minutes left made it 89-79, and New Orleans couldn’t recover.
Wall had 11 points in the first half, when Washington shot 56.4 percent and led by as many as 10 twice in the second quarter.
Pierce made all three shots he took in the opening 24 minutes, and his layup gave Washington a 52-44 halftime lead.
Davis and Evans were the only Pelicans players to score in the third quarter, but their combined 20 points were enough to trim Washington’s lead to 69-64 heading into the final period.
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TIP-INS
Wizards: Washington has won seven straight meetings with New Orleans.
Pelicans: Gordon wore a black compression undershirt during the game to help stabilize his left shoulder, which he sprained on Nov. 22, sidelining him for six weeks. — The Pelicans were trying to go two games above .500 for the first time since late November, when they were 7-5.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host New York on Wednesday.
Pelicans: Visit Charlotte on Wednesday.
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