New Orleans Pelicans

Minus Cousins, Pelicans top Nuggets 115-90 behind Davis' 31

Published Mar. 27, 2017 12:04 a.m. ET

DENVER (AP) -- Anthony Davis had 31 points and 15 rebounds, helping to compensate for the absence of injured DeMarcus Cousins, and the New Orleans Pelicans boosted their flickering playoff hopes by beating the Denver Nuggets 115-90 on Sunday night.

The Nuggets began the night clinging to a one-game lead over Portland for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers played later at the Los Angeles Lakers.

New Orleans is in 11th place in the West with nine games remaining and faces long odds in trying to overtake Dallas, Portland and Denver for the final playoff berth.

Nevertheless, against the Nuggets, the Pelicans overcame the absence of Cousins, who sat out because of a right ankle injury sustained during Friday's loss at Houston.

Davis had his 45th double-double of the season and finished with 30 or more points for the 32nd time.

Jrue Holiday and Jordan Crawford added 13 points apiece for the Pelicans, who have won four of five.

Denver, which heads to Portland for a Tuesday night matchup, was led by Mason Plumlee's 16 points. Gary Harris and Jamal Murray had 13 points each.

Up by 15 at halftime, the Pelicans quickly stretched their lead to 22 in the opening minutes of the third quarter behind three consecutive baskets by Davis, including one that was part of a three-point play. By the time E'Twaun Moore hit a jumper right before the end of the third quarter, the Pelicans were leading 87-59 and the Nuggets' attempts to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter were fruitless.

The Nuggets made just five of their 25 shots in the second and finished with only 14 points in the period. The Pelicans scored 26 and pulled out to a 55-40 lead at halftime.

TIP-INS

Pelicans: Coach Alvin Gentry said Cousins' ankle injury was too painful for him to take part in the team's shootaround earlier Sunday and the decision was made to sit him for the game to avoid making it worse. "There is no way we are going to stick him out there and risk further injuries for one game," Gentry said. ... Davis' 14-point first quarter marked the 29th time this season he has scored in double figures in the opening period.

Nuggets: Denver was limited to 12 points in a quarter twice this season, most recently in the final period of a 92-85 loss at Washington on Dec. 12.

UP NEXT

Pelicans: Complete a back-to-back set on the road by visiting Utah on Monday night.

Nuggets: Embark on a make-or-break five-game road trip, with the first stop Tuesday night in Portland.