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NEW ORLEANS (AP) – When Anthony Davis failed to drop the lobs, Al-Nikola Mirotic was burying a 3-man roadblock that prompted the crowd to sing his name.
At the end of the night, New Orleans pelicans were cheered for their points total in a single record game franchise history.
Mirotic scored 36 points, Anthony Davis, 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Pelicans, still in a hurry, continued their torrid start with a 149-129 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
"We just played fast, shared the ball, played very selflessly," said Mirotic. "I think we're going to be a big problem for the rest of the teams."
Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 10 assists for the Pelicans, who shot 58.9% (56 of 95) and 110 points in the third quarter.
"We could have had more if we made free throws," said Davis, referring to the fact that New Orleans scored 21 of 33 baseline attempts. "But most of the time, offensively, our team can pretty much put the ball in the basket."
Julius Randle and Ian Clark each scored 13 points and Randle also got 13 rebounds for New Orleans, who opened the season with a surprising 131-112 win in Houston on Wednesday and scored at least 30 points each from his first eight quarters away.
Davis said that 30-point "hopefully" periods will remain a regular occurrence.
"Our goal is to make sure the other team is not 30, but if we can have more than 30 every quarter, it's more than likely that we'll win those games," Davis said. .
Willie Cauley-Stein scored 20 points and Marvin Bagley III had 19 points for Sacramento, who lost his first two games. De'Aaron Fox and Frank Mason each scored 18 points for the Kings, who shot 52.1% but failed to keep pace with the Pelicans.
"I have seen some very good offensives tonight," said Kings coach Dave Joerger. "I see, of course, a lot of things that can be learned about defense through an experience that just takes time, as young guys learn to play against older players. I am not excited at the idea of giving up 149, but I like what I see from many of our guys. "
TIP-INS
Kings: Buddy Hield, the former first-round pick of the Pélicans, scored 17 points on 7 out of 11 shots, including 3 out of 4 to 3 points. … Kosta Koufos had come out with tension on the hamstring.
Pelicans: New Orleans finished with 16 3 points out of 31 attempts (51.6%). … New Orleans dominated Sacramento 76-70 in painting and surpassed the 52-39 Kings. … Mirotic finished 14 of his 21 shots, including 5 out of 9 …… Randle played nearly 25 minutes while he was injured in New Orleans with a left plantar fasciitis. … G Elfrid Payton had 11 points to go with six rebounds and six assists in his second game with New Orleans after a triple-double for his debut. … Darius Miller scored 10 points. … The Pelicans are 2-0 for the first time since 2011-12.
MOMENT OF MIROTIC
Mirotic hit three 3 in quick succession in the middle of the fourth quarter, the third of a right wing recoil, pulling the songs of "Ni-ko! Ni-ko! "A crowd.
Montenegro said he had not had this moment of life since his 19th birthday in Madrid, scoring several times in a EuroLeague match.
"It was really nice to remember those days and get to the NBA, it's even better," said Mirotic. "So I'm just happy. I'm going to go home. I will be with my wife, my son and obviously, I will watch this game again. "
HIGHLIGHT REEL
The inclination of pelicans to establish each other has produced memorable moments.
In the first half, Holiday dribbled down the hall when he threw a right lob that looked like a hook. Davis pushed the ball with his right hand and pushed it with one swipe.
Later, Davis grabbed an offensive rebound as he headed for the court and returned a pass to Holiday, who was rolling in the driveway to perform a layup.
FOLLOWING
Kings: Visit Oklahoma City on Sundays.
Pelicans: Welcome the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
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