Escape From L.A., Pelicans Get By Lakers

Leading by 14 on the road against the last place team in the Western Conference, the New Orleans Pelicans appeared to be cruising to victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Nothing has come easy for New Orleans this season. Sunday night was no different.

Los Angeles scored 14 unanswered, tying the game at 97.

In desperate need of a bucket, Anthony Davis came through with a contested 19 footer. After a defensive stop, Jrue Holiday killed the Lakers comeback, draining a contested 3 pointer at the end of the shot clock, helping the Pelicans get a monkey off their back with a 105-97 win.

The win is the first with DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins in the lineup as a member of the Pelicans (New Orleans beat Detroit last week when Cousins was suspended) following a blockbuster trade two weeks ago that sent the All-Star to the Crescent City.

"It feels good to finally get one under the belt," said Cousins after the win. "We almost let up at the end but we stayed solid and got a good win."

Cousins, who scored his 10,000th career point, finished the game with 26 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out late.

"We still got a lot of work to do," noted Cousins. "We know what we're capable of. It's just about us going out and doing it. Keep working. Keep growing as teammates."

Davis finished with a game-high 31 points and 9 rebounds. Holiday added 20 points and 12 assists.

"This is something we need to build on tonight," Davis said. "We've got a tough game against a really good Utah team (Monday night)."

With the victory, New Orleans improves to 25-38 on the season, 3.5 games back of 8th place in the Western Conference.