Davis, Gordon lead Hornets past Kings 110-95

[February 25, 2013]  NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Anthony Davis had 20 points and eight rebounds, and Eric Gordon added 17 points and eight assists to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 110-95 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

Ryan Anderson scored 17 points, Roger Mason had 13, and Robin Lopez and Greivis Vasquez 12 apiece for New Orleans, which won its first game since an 0-3 start following the All-Star break.

The Hornets also improved to 18-12 when holding opponents below 100 points.

John Salmons scored all 18 of his points in the second half for the Kings. Jason Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas each added 16 as Sacramento lost its fifth consecutive overall and eight straight on the road.

Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton had 12 points each for Sacramento.

The Hornets broke open a close game with a 17-7 spurt to open the fourth quarter and take a 96-83 lead with 6:05 remaining.

New Orleans found the lane to its liking, outscoring the Kings 62-44 in the paint.

Davis, who sat out most of the final two quarters Friday against Dallas with a knee injury, scored 12 points in the first half in leading the Hornets to a 53-47 lead at the break. Davis was 5 of 7 from the field, including a pair of highlight-reel dunks on fast breaks, one coming on a Gordon assist and the other on a nifty pass from Vasquez.

The Hornets, playing with a sense of renewed energy in front of a sparse crowd on a rare late afternoon tipoff, led 30-27 at the end of the first quarter, with 20 of those points coming in the paint. Davis scored eight in the quarter.

Gordon made three of his first five shots and finished the first half with 11 points. He also committed three turnovers.

NOTES: Newly acquired C Cole Aldrich was not with the Kings on Sunday, Sacramento coach Keith Smart said before the game. Smart said Aldrich was in Sacramento for additional medical tests. Aldrich, along with Toney Douglas and Patrick Patterson were acquired in a trade with the Houston Rockets this past week in exchange for Thomas Robinson. Douglas and Patterson were with the team and Patterson scored 2 points. Douglas did not play.

[Associated Press]

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