New Orleans Pelicans burned by the Miami Heat

Former New Orleans' center Chris "Birdman" Andersen (11) positions himself for a rebound in Miami's 107-88 victory over the Pelicans. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The New Orleans Pelicans took it on the chin last night being burned by the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat 107-88 at the American Airlines Center despite a quality double-double by Anthony Davis, who scored 22 points with 12 rebounds seven on the offensive end. Davis also contributed three steals and two blocks. The Pelicans, 15-18, dropped their 14th game in 16 outings against a team with a winning record, concluding a four-game road swing going just 1-3. The Pelicans look to end their two-game losing streak tonight, hosting the 14-17 Washington Wizards at the Arena in a 7 o'clock tip off. The 27-8 Heat upped their home record to 16-3 winning their fifth straight contest over New Orleans. LeBron James poured in 32 points and Dwayne Wade finished with 22. Former New Orleans' center Chris "Birdman" Andersen netted 15 points with seven rebounds, two assists and a block. The Pelicans got 15 points from Eric Gordon, while Pelicans' center Jason Smith returned to the lineup after missing four games and scored eight points with four rebounds. The Pels played without Ryan Anderson, who is out indefinitely with a herniated disk. Anderson was leading the Pelicans with a 19.8 point per game scoring average. Anderson was connecting on 40.9 percent of his three-point attempts and 95 percent from the free throw line.

Anthony Davis returns to New Orleans Pelicans' lineup

Pelicans' power forward Anthony Davis

The New Orleans Pelicans welcomed the return of power forward Anthony Davis last night, but they
fell 108-95 going down to Chris Paul and L. A. Clippers. Davis was strong in his return recording a double-double with a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds after missing seven games with a broken bone in his non-shooting hand. The Pelicans slipped to 11-13 dropping their third straight road game. Ryan Anderson delivered 17 points and nine rebounds adding three more treys. Jrue Holiday contributed a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. The Clippers' Blake Griffin produced a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while center DeAndre Jordan turned in a quality effort scoring 14 points with a game-high 20 rebounds and five blocks. Paul netted 12 points and dished off 11 assists. The Pels are off until a Saturday road encounter with the Portland Trailblazers. 

Pelicans down Utah Jazz behind Anthony Davis

  

Pelicans' guard Tyreke Evans drives to the hoop in Wednesday night's 105-98 victory over the Utah Jazz in the Arena. Evans scored 13 points with five rebounds, four steals and four assists. Photo by Brett duke, NOLA.com/The Times Picayune

The New Orleans Pelicans delivered last night downing the Utah Jazz 105-98 in the Arena before a crowd of 13,203 behind a strong performance from Anthony Davis, who dropped in 22 points with nine rebounds. Davis controlled the paint blocking a career-tying eight blocks. He established that mark Saturday in a 135-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Ryan Anderson playing in his second game back from a toe
injury contributed 19 points with five rebounds. Anderson connected on 4-of-6 three-pointers,
while Tyreke Evans chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. The Pels' bench outscored the Jazz' bench 45-33. The Pelicans, 5-6, host the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night in the third
game of a four-game home stand at the Arena.  

Pelicans snap three-game losing streak in rout over 76ers

The New Orleans Pelicans broke a 3-game losing streak Saturday night cruising to a 135-98 drubbing of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Arena. Ryan Anderson made his first appearance after missing the first nine games with a broken toe and made the most of it pouring in 26 points as he clicked on six 3-pointers. Anderson tallied 14 points in the first 14 minutes as the Pelicans built a 30-point first half advantage. Anthony Davis contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, playing less than three quarters. Point guard Jrue Holiday, who was traded by the 76ers on draft night, finished with 14 points and 12 assists
against his former team. The Pelicans, 4-6, host the Utah Jazz, Wednesday night with a 7 o'clock tip off. 

New Orleans Pelicans downed by Phoenix Suns

The New Orleans Pelicans took it on the chin last night, falling to the Phoenix Suns 104-98
before a crowd of 13,404 at the Arena. The Pelicans after posting an exciting 7-1 preseason
record have struggled to open the regular season and sit at a disappointing 1-3. Phoenix moved to
3-1 and did their damage last night connecting from long-range, downing 12 three-pointers and
clicked on 39-of-78 attempts from the field. The Suns outscored the Pelicans 37-24 in a decisive
third quarter. Suns' point guard Eric Bledsoe led the way with 25 points followed by Gerald
Green, who finished with 18 points, hitting on 6-of-10 treys.
Shooting guard Eric Gordon topped the Pels with 20 points followed by Anthony Davis and backup
guard Brian Roberts, who both added 17 points.
It was the first game that Davis has been held below 20 points. Pelicans' point guard Jrue
Holiday was whistled for two fouls early in the first quarter and had to head to the bench with
Roberts seeing some early significant minutes.
The Pelicans take to the road and face off with the Memphis Grizzlies tonight.
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New Orleans Pelicans drop season opener to Indiana Pacers

The New Orleans Pelicans' mascot "Pierre The Pelican" struts his stuff prior to the start of last night's season opener in the Arena.  The Pelicans came up short falling to Indiana 95-90.

 All of the glitz and glamor of the Big Easy, the new uniforms, the new mascot and the newly
renovated Arena didn't matter much last night as the new look New Orleans Pelicans couldn't get
it done in their NBA opener falling to the Indiana Pacers 95-90.
Pelicans' coach Monty Williams, said, "We didn't give it away. They took the game.
The Pelicans' defense didn't have an answer for Indiana's Paul George, who poured in a game-high
32 points with six rebounds and five assists leading the Pacers to their second straight victory. Former New Orleans' Hornets' player David West, scored 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds with five assists and two blocks for the Pacers. New Orleans held a 66-59 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, but couldn't make the defensive stops when they needed to. The Pacers outscored the Pelicans 36-24 in a decisive final period.
Pelicans' shooting guard Eric Gordon netted 25 points in 33 minutes of action, while point guard Jrue Holiday finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Pelicans wasted a solid double-double performance by Anthony Davis, who contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds, including seven offensive boards with three blocked shots. Tyreke Evans making his way back from a preseason ankle injury  added four points, playing 23 minutes.
The Pelicans out rebounded the Pacers 43-37 in the loss. The Pelicans unveiled their new mascot, Pierre
The Pelican. The mascot's costume incorporates the Pelicans' new blue, gold and red color scheme. Pierre sports a blue jersey and shorts, matching blue gloves, blue accents on his yellow furry wings and blue eyebrows. Quite the fashion statement as Pierre replaces "Hugo The Hornet."
Hugo served as the Hornets' mascot since the teams inception as an expansion franchise in 1988.
The Hornets return to action tomorrow with a six o'clock tip off. The Pels will be without the
services of Ryan Anderson, the team's best 3-point shooter,  due to a chip fracture on a toe on his right foot. Anderson will miss one to three weeks due to the injury. 
The Pelicans take to the road tomorrow, squaring off with the Orlando Magic.         

New Orleans Pelicans begin season tomorrow

The new look New Orleans Pelicans open their season tomorrow  night at home in the renovated
Arena, hosting the Indiana Pacers. The Pelicans capped off a productive preseason, posting a 7-1
record. The Pelicans downed the Magic 101-82 Friday night in Orlando led by Brian Roberts,
who netted 21 points followed by Eric Gordon with 12 points in just 12 minutes of action. The
Pelicans, formerly the Hornets, who finished a disappointing 27-55 last season after battling
numerous injuries, are poised to make some noise this year with the addition of point guard Jrue
Holiday and Tyreke Evans among others.
Anthony Davis led the Pels during the preseason, averaging 19.9 points per game with 5.9 rebounds
per outing, followed by Gordon at 17 points per contest. Four other Pelicans' players averaged
in double digits, including Anthony Morrow, 12.5 points, Ryan Anderson, 11.9,  Holiday 11.
and Roberts at 11.7. The Pelicans averaged 101 points per game, while allowing 94.5 points
per contest in the preseason.  

Pelicans remain unbeaten

The New Orleans Pelicans pushed their record to 6-0 in the preseason Saturday, slipping past the
Washington Wizards, 93-89, on the road.
The Pelicans put their unbeaten mark on the line tomorrow night in the Arena, hosting the NBA
champion Miami Heat and LeBron James. The game tips off at 7 o'clock.
The Pelicans continued to share the ball, placing four players in double figures led by Jrue Holiday with 19 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals to lead the attack. Anthony Davis continued his consistent play,
dropping in 16 points with four rebounds and two blocked shots. Davis made 6-of-10 shots from the floor and hit all four of his free throws.
Believe it or not, but shooting guard Eric Gordon, played in his second consecutive game and
contributed 16 points in just over 24 minutes of action. Guard Anthony Morrow, who had been
starting in place of Gordon, added 15 points with seven rebounds. Pels' guard Tyreke Evans is
still out trying to recover from a sprained ankle.

Pelicans remain unbeaten

The New Orleans Pelicans kept their unbeaten preseason streak in tact, rolling past the Atlanta Hawks 105-73 yesterday afternoon in Biloxi giving fans on the Gulf Coast an opportunity to see the club in action. The Pelicans, 4-0, were led to victory by Anthony Davis, who poured in a game high 23 points with nine boards. In all, six Pelicans  reached double figures. Ryan Anderson contributed 20 points followed by Al-Faurouq Aminu with 14. Jrue Holiday chipped in with 13 points by Anthony Morrow, who netted 11. Austin Rivers dropped in 10 points.
The Pelicans played without guards Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans along with forward Jason Smith, who were held out of the lineup by coach Monty Williams. The Pelicans shot 56 percent from the floor and held a big rebound advantage. The Pelicans pulled down 44 rebounds, limiting the Hawks to just 28 in the rout, while the Pels' defense created 24 turnovers.Atlanta, 1-2, got 21 points from Al Horford.

New Orleans Pelicans leading scorer Anthony, "The Brow", Davis poured in 23 points to spark a victory over Atlanta.

New Orleans Pelicans move to 3-0 behind Anthony Davis

The New Orleans Pelicans kept their winning streak alive moving to 3-0 in the preseason following a 99-95 road victory over the Orlando Magic with Anthony Davis, the "Brow", leading the way with 29 points and nine rebounds including four on the offensive end. Davis played 31 minutes, sinking all 11 of his free throw attempts and he blocked four shots.
Brian Roberts chipped in with 16 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals followed by Ryan Anderson, who netted 12 points, clicking on 4-of-9 three-point attempts. The Pels connected on 7-of-13 attempts from behind the 3-point arc. New Orleans also hit clutch free throws, canning 26-of-29, making 89.7 percent of their charity tosses. The Pelicans won it at the free throw line, making eight straight in the
final 90-seconds to remain unbeaten as Orlando opened its preseason at home. The Pelicans return to action Sunday playing the Atlanta Hawks in the Mississippi Coast Convention Center in Biloxi with a 1 p.m. tip off.

Pelicans' Anthony Davis leads team to third straight preseason victory. Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Pelicans.     

New Orleans Pelicans edge Dallas Mavericks

The New Orleans Pelicans won their second consecutive close ballgame last night edging the
Dallas Mavericks 94-92 on the road in preseason action. Anthony Davis poured in a game-high 25
points with seven rebounds as the Pels placed five players in double figures. Brian Roberts
contributed 17 points with four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Jrue Holiday chipped in
with 13 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Ryan Anderson added 12 points
with six rebounds including five offensive boards. Anthony Morrow starting in place of Eric
Gordon finished with 11 points followed by Austin Rivers with nine points, two rebounds, two
assists and two steals. The Pelicans, who played without Tyreke Evans, who
is out with an ankle injury, return to action tomorrow night playing the Orlando Magic in
their third consecutive road game in the preseason.     

Pelicans trim Houston in preseason opener

The New Orleans Pelicans edged the Houston Rockets and newly acquired center Dwight Howard,
116-115 in the NBA preseason opener Saturday on the road.
Guard Anthony Morrow, a fifth-year pro out of Georgia Tech, topped the Pelicans with 26 points
and five rebounds, starting for Eric Gordon, who was kept out, trying to work his way back into
playing shape after undergoing off season ankle surgery.  
Pels' guard Tyreke Evans injured an ankle early in the second quarter with x-rays proving
negative, but he will undergo an MRI. Evans twisted his ankle when he landed awkwardly after
making a running shot in the lane.
Anthony Davis finished with 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting.
Howard, the Rockets free-agent acquisition played 17 minutes, scoring 19 points with 9 rebounds.
James Harden topped the Rockets with 21 points. The Pelicans return to action tonight playing
the Dallas Mavericks on the road.