Anthony Davis caught fire and the Detroit Pistons couldn’t cool off the New Orleans Pelicans star.
Davis exploded for a career-best and NBA season-high 59 points along with 20 rebounds Sunday, leading the visiting Pelicans to a 111-106 win over the Pistons. Davis became the first NBA player to put up those gaudy numbers since former LA Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal scored 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds against the LA Clippers on March 7, 2000.
The All-Star forward made 24-of-34 field goals, both 3-pointers and nine of 10 free throws, shattering the franchise-record of 50 owned by Jamal Mashburn in 2003.
“I knew I was doing good but not something this crazy,” Davis said following the sparkling performance.
“They kept trying to feed me the ball and I was just trying to make the most out of it and after a while you feel like any shot you put up is going to go in. I definitely felt like that tonight and I’m just glad they did go in.”
Reserve Jrue Holiday had 20 points with nine assists for the Pelicans (22-33), who won their second in a row out of the All-Star break. Reggie Jackson had 34 points and Andre Drummond added 21 with 14 boards for the sliding Pistons (27-29), who have dropped a season-high five in a row.
“They had a superstar get super-hot and they rode him to the win,” Jackson said. “He got so many rhythm shots early and got his confidence going. After he got into a rhythm it doesn’t matter who’s in front of you.”
Davis had 26 points and 13 rebounds by halftime but the teams were knotted at 55. He scored 14 in the third quarter, giving him 40 with 15 boards and the Pelicans carried an 80-75 advantage heading into the final frame.
With Davis out for a breather, the Pistons ran off six straight points to take a brief lead. But Davis returned and went off for 19 points in the final 10 minutes.
“Our whole thing with him (Davis) is that we try to get him playing in space,” Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said.
Elsewhere:
Cleveland Cavaliers 115, Oklahoma City Thunder 92: Kevin Love had 29 with 11 rebounds, LeBron James added 25 with 11 assists, and the visiting Cavs (40-14) rolled the Thunder for their fifth straight win despite losing guard Kyrie Irving in the second quarter to flu-like symptoms.  Kevin Durant dropped in 26 points and Russell Westbrook had 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City (4-16), which was outscored 33-20 in the third quarter en route to its worst loss of the season.
Boston Celtics 121, Denver Nuggets 101: Isaiah Thomas had 22 points with 12 assists, as the visiting Celtics (33-24) forced 24 turnovers to rock the sloppy Nuggets (22-34) despite Nikola Jokic’s game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds.
San Antonio Spurs 118, Phoenix Suns 111: Frenchman Tony Parker scored 22 points, Australian Patty Mills knocked down six triples en route to 21, and the visiting Spurs (47-9) struggled before handing the downward-spiraling Suns their 11th straight loss and 26th in the last 28 games. Alex Len led the Suns (14-42) with a career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Chicago Bulls 126, LA Lakers 115: Derrick Rose and E’Twuan Moore scored 24 points apiece, and the Bulls (29-26) beat the Lakers in Kobe Bryant’s final game in Chicago. The retiring Bryant tossed in 22 points while Julius Randle also had 22 with 12 boards for the lowly Lakers (11-47).
Portland Trail Blazers 115, Utah Jazz 111: CJ McCollum scored 31 points, including two sealing free throws with 2.7 seconds left, Damian Lillard had 30 and the Trail Blazers (29-27) edged the visiting Jazz for their fifth consecutive victory. Derrick Favors had 22 points for Utah (27-28), which had won eight of its previous 10 decisions.
Dallas Mavericks 129, Philadelphia 76ers 103: German Dirk Nowitzki netted 18 points to become the sixth player in NBA history to score more than 29,000, and the host Mavericks (30-27) withstood Jahlil Okafor’s career-high 31 to crush the league-worst Sixers (8-47).
Charlotte Hornets 104, Brooklyn Nets 96: Kemba Walker scored 28 points, including a huge triple with 1:46 remaining, and the visiting Hornets (29-26) ran their winning streak to a season-high five games after clipping the Nets (15-41).
Toronto Raptors 98, Memphis Grizzlies 95: DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points, Kyle Lowry added 18 and the host Raptors (36-18) tamed the Grizzlies for their eighth straight home win. Zach Randolph had 18 points for Memphis (33-23).
Idiana Pacers 105, Orlando Magic 102: Monta Ellis scored 21 points, Paul George had 20 and the visiting Pacers (30-25) slipped past the Magic for their fourth win in five games. Frenchman Evan Fournier led Orlando (24-30) with 23 points.