The New Orleans Pelicans did what they were supposed to on Tuesday night — they left Cleveland with a 125-111 win over the Cavaliers.
The victory was never truly in serious jeopardy after the Pelicans had piled up 74 points on 57.4% shooting from the field and 47.4% from three-point range in the first half, but the Cavaliers did manage to slice a 22-point deficit late in the third quarter to just eight with 7:39 left in regulation.
“We’ve got to do a better job ourselves of being in that situation and being able to close out games,” head coach Alvin Gentry said to postgame media.