New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tyreke Evans poured in 27 points and the New Orleans Pelicans put together a strong fourth quarter to come away with a 104-93 victory over the still-struggling New York Knicks.
Evans netted eight points and Omer Asik had seven during a final period in which the Pelicans outscored New York by a 27-20 count to pull away and sent the Knicks to a ninth consecutive loss and 10th in a row on the road.
"Evans was really good at attacking the basket," Pelicans head coach Monty Williams said.
Asik finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Anthony Davis put up 18 points and eight boards in New Orleans' second straight victory.
Amar'e Stoudemire scored a season-high 26 points for New York, but Carmelo Anthony was held to a relatively quiet 17 and managed just two points in the fourth quarter.
"It's kind of like 'Groundhog Day' at this point," Stoudemire said. "After the game you have the same feeling. ... It's tough."
J.R. Smith's 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer had the Knicks down just 77-73 heading into the fourth, but the Pelicans started the final frame strong to stretch the margin.
Jrue Holiday began the period with a 3-point play and Austin Rivers knocked down a trey shortly afterward to stake New Orleans to an 83-73 lead. It was a 12-point advantage with under 8 1/2 minutes to go when Asik converted a Rivers give to put the Pelicans up by an 87-75 score.
The Knicks never got the deficit under nine points the rest of the way, with New Orleans shooting 50 percent from the floor and going 6-of-8 from the foul line for the fourth quarter.
Neither team was ahead by more than five points during a tightly contested first half. New York owned a 52-50 edge late in the second quarter, but Holiday buried a pull-up jumper and fed Asik for a dunk with 18.2 seconds remaining to send New Orleans in front by two at the break.
The Pelicans were able to create some distance in the third quarter, during which Davis amassed 11 points. An Asik slam and a Holiday layup had New Orleans ahead 68-61 with less than five minutes to go in the stanza, and Davis threw down a dunk with 2:25 left in the period for a 73-65 advantage.
Game Notes
New Orleans halted a five-game home losing streak to the Knicks and improved to 6-2 at Smoothie King Center this season ... Smith finished with 17 points, but went just 6-of-18 from the field ... Knicks forward Jason Smith, who spent the previous four seasons with the Pelicans, had four points in 22 minutes against his former team ... New Orleans has won 14 of its last 17 home games against Eastern Conference opponents ... The Pelicans outrebounded New York by a 43-30 margin and owned a 54-40 edge in the paint.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.