Jrue Holiday Leads Pelicans Past Hornets

Offense was hard to come by Wednesday night in Charlotte, but Jrue Holiday turned his game up in crunch time, leading the New Orleans Pelicans past the Hornets 101-96.

With 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Holiday drove into the paint, and defended terrific throughout the night.

"I'm just being patient (and) taking opportunities given to me," said Holiday after the win. "Obviously, with DeMarcus (Cousins) and Anthony (Davis) being on the floor, the (opposing teams) focus on them, and it opens it up for me."

Cousins stressed this week the need for Pelicans guards to force the issue on offense by penetrating, something Holiday focused on in the win.

Cousins finished with a double-double of 16 points and 13 boards, while Davis chipped in 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

"I thought we played great defensively," noted head coach Alvin Gentry. "Other than the turnovers, I thought we did what we needed to do to win the game."

The victory is the 4th straight for New Orleans, their longest winning streak of the season. They've won 6 of 7, standing at 26-21 overall, good for 6th place in the Western Conference.

Next up, a home matchup with the Houston Rockets (34-12) on Friday. Tip-off from the Smoothie King Center is set for 7:00. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.