NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis exuded an unmistakable swagger as he strode slowly toward the charged-up crowd behind the basket where he'd just rolled in an off-balance scoop while being fouled. Then, he exchanged a congratulatory five with Arcade Fire singer Win Butler, who was sitting along the baseline.
The Pelicans star wasn't going to be denied -- and neither, for that matter, was the rest of his recently resurgent team.
Davis finished with 45 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans won their fourth straight game, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-96 on Wednesday night.
"We're just playing great and when our crowd is into it like they were in it tonight, it gives us juice," said Davis, who hit 17 of 27 shots that included thunderous dunks, 3-pointers and just about everything in between. "My teammates are doing a great job of just finding me and vice versa. We're all just locked in, playing well together, clicking."
Terrence Jones scored 17 points for New Orleans, which trailed early in the second half before Davis scored eight points during a 13-2 run that gave the Pelicans the lead for good.
"I'm amazed every time at the shots he makes. You know, he's able to do it with double-teams and triple teams -- MVP performance," guard Tim Frazier said. "He just came out there and he led us."
New Orleans led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter and cruised to its sixth victory in eight games. E'Twaun Moore added 12 points, and Tim Frazier had 11.
Zach LaVine scored 26 for Minnesota, but the Timberwolves lost their third straight.
