Davis' 41 carries Lakers in return to New Orleans

Anthony Davis scored 41 points in his return to New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers won their ninth straight game, beating the Pelicans 114-110 on Wednesday night. Davis was roundly booed whenever he touched the basketball in the city where he played his first seven seasons before demanding a trade from New Orleans, which sent him to the Lakers in July.

LeBron James added 29 points and 11 assists as the Lakers improved their league-leading record to 16-2. Kyle Kuzma added 16 points. Jrue Holiday had 12 assists and 29 points, but just four in the second half, as the Pelicans squandered a 16-point third-quarter lead. Brandon Ingram, one of three players L.A. traded along with a group of draft choices for Davis, had 23 points and 10 rebounds, JJ Redick scored 18 and Kenrich Williams had 11.

Kuzma's 3-pointer gave Los Angeles a 111-109 lead with 1:06 remaining. Josh Hart made one of two free throws for the Pelicans before stealing the ball from James. Redick missed a jumper and Davis rebounded with six seconds left. He made one of two free throws, then stole Holiday's inbound pass with five seconds left and made two more free throws to complete the scoring.

Davis scored 27 points in the first half, but the Pelicans held a 64-54 halftime lead as Holiday scored 25. New Orleans scored the first six points of the third quarter, but a dunk, steal, and layup by Davis helped the Lakers get within eight. E'Twaun Moore's jumper gave New Orleans an 89-79 lead at the end of the period.

Los Angeles scored the first nine points of the fourth, pulling within a point on Kuzma's 3-pointer. After Hart's two free throws ended the Pelicans scoring drought, Kuzma tied the score with another 3-pointer.

New Orleans took a four-point lead, but Davis made a dunk on a James pass and James added seven straight points for a 100-95 lead with 5:25 remaining. Redick scored eight points in the fourth quarter as New Orleans took a one-point lead with two minutes left.

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