ed 21st in weighted DVOA. Though star wideout Jordy

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis backpedaled from the 3-point line, his arm staying up in the follow-through position as his shot went down to push New Orleans lead to eight points with a minute-and-a-half to go.A mere 12 seconds later, his arm was extended again -- this time to swat away Thaddeus Youngs running floater as the Pelicans emphatically closed out a 102-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.My teammates were just telling me to end the game, Davis said. Of course, they lean on me to try to close out down the stretch. I was just trying to be aggressive.Davis was having a pretty good night even before his late flourish, finishing with 35 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots. He highlighted his latest dynamic performance with two 3-pointers and a couple of driving dunks. During a pivotal 15-0 Pelicans run inside the final 5 minutes, he converted a three-point play on a driving dunk, hit a 3, added four free throws and blocked two shots.Davis got loose in a couple transitions. He made a 3. Theyre moving him around, Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. He hurt us really in transition and just attacking the basket.Rookie Buddy Hield also hurt the Pacers with a career-high 21 points, hitting five 3s along the way.He can shoot it even better than he did tonight, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of Hield. Hes just learning what a good shot is.And New Orleans even got its first production of the season from guard Tyreke Evans, who played 11 minutes in his return from a right knee injury that also sidelined him most of last season. He had seven points, three rebounds and two assists.He played pretty well in his limited minutes, Davis said.Jrue Holiday, who started the Pelicans decisive surge with a driving layup, had 16 points and 14 assists, while Terrence Jones added 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.Myles Turner scored 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting for Indiana, but the Pacers missed eight straight shots during a 4-minute scoring drought late in the fourth quarter. Indianas Jeff Teague had 21 points and 10 assists and Paul George had 18 points.The game was close through 3 1/2 quarters, when neither team had built a lead larger than eight points. The Pacers led 90-85 after Georges layup with 4:52 to go, but thats when the game turned dramatically in New Orleans favor.Theres something were not doing right. We have to address it, George said. The majority of our losses, weve been in the game or in control. Were not figuring out how to close it.TIP-INSPacers: Al Jefferson scored 14 points. ... G Rodney Stuckey was sidelined by soreness in his left hamstring, which he pulled during a loss at Miami on Wednesday night. His absence further thinned Indianas depth at guard with Monta Ellis skipping the trip because of his right groin strain. ... George was assessed a technical foul for arguing a call on the defensive end in the second quarter.Pelicans: Reserve PG Tim Frazier, who sprained his right wrist during Tuesday nights loss to Golden State, was scratched from the lineup. ... New Orleans outrebounded Indiana 56-46.OFF TARGETIndiana entered the game shooting 37 percent from 3-point range but hit only 3 of 21 (14 percent). Davis said the Pelicans had something to do with that.That was one of our biggest focuses was guarding the 3-point line. We wanted to be up on ball screens and make them shoot 2s, Davis said. They rely on their 3s a lot and we just wanted to make sure it was tough on everyone.COMPETITIVE REUNIONIn his first game against the team he left in free agency after last season, New Orleans small forward Solomon Hill often guarded George, who failed to score 20 points for just the first time in seven games.We didnt let him close to the basket. Everyone had my back, Hill said. We felt like he didnt get comfortable tonight and that changed the dynamic of their team.UP NEXTPacers: Visit Detroit on Saturday night to complete a three-game trip.Pelicans: Visit Houston on Friday night to begin a three game trip.Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Baseball Jerseys From China . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. http://www.cheapbaseballjerseyschina.com/ . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys Free Shipping . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams.After one of the worst games of his career on Sunday night, Green Bay Packers quarterback?Aaron Rodgers was quick to point out that this season is only two games old. Well, its Week 2. Theres always a lot of work to be done, he?said.The problem with that statement is that Green Bay had an entire offseason to fix last years broken offense, which finished 21st in weighted DVOA. Though star wideout Jordy Nelson has returned, the offense looks awfully similar to the unit that struggled through the final dozen games in 2015. The Packers rank 25th in offensive DVOA, and 26th in passingg offense this season.dddddddddddd (DVOA is Football Outsiders proprietary Defense-adjusted Value Over Average metric, explained here.)Clearly, this is about more than just one bad night in Minnesota against a tough defense. This has been a 14-game slump for one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history during what should still be his prime. What can history teach us about when the slump might end? How likely is it Rodgers can return to his past glory? ' ' '