Pelicans exhibit next man up approach in win over Dallas

Next man up.

For the Pelicans, that was Ian Clark.

With Jrue Holiday out with flu-like symptoms, Clark got the job done, scoring 19 points in 31 minutes as the Pelicans pulled away late from pesky Dallas 115-105 at Smoothie King Center Tuesday night.

Speaking of stepping up, Rajon Rondo, who is often not on the floor in crunch time, due to defensive issues and shooting issues, came up big in all facets.

The veteran guard nearly had a triple-double, scoring 19 points, dishing out 14 assists and pulling down nine rebounds in a huge effort. He hit two key free throws and a dagger 3-pointer to put the game away late. Rondo added three steals in 30 minutes.

Cheick Diallo continued his fine play, scoring 10 points and pulling down 14 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. E’Twaun Moore added 14 points and season best six assists.

Then, of course, there was Anthony Davis.

The star of the Pelicans starred in a big way, scoring 31 points on 15-of-21 shooting from the field and pulled down eight rebounds in an outstanding performance. It was the 28th time this season in 71 games that Davis has scored 30 or more points.

New Orleans shot 53 percent from the field and won the battle of the boards 46-40. The Pelicans had just nine turnovers. New Orleans had 21 fast break points to just four for Dallas. The Pelicans outscored Dallas 58-48 in the paint. New Orleans shared the ball, dishing out 33 assists on 48 made shots.

The newest Pelican, Larry Drew, made a solid impression with six points in 13 minutes played while Solomon Hill got the start in just his second game of the season and scored his first two points of the season.

The health of Holiday is a major concern with two more games to play in as many nights, starting with Indiana tonight in the make-up game rescheduled due to the roof leak of Feb. 7. The Lakers are here on Thursday.

Looking ahead, Davis played 35 minutes, as did Moore. Rondo played 30 minutes. We will see what he has left in the tank Wednesday night.

Good teams find a way to win, even without key players. New Orleans is a good team playing without a good player Tuesday night that beat a bad team as they were supposed to do.