Nerlens Noel had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Michael Carter-Williams scored 22 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 96-81 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
The Sixers never trailed in only their third home win of the season. They put away the short-handed Pelicans in a hurry, making 10 of their first 14 shots and racing to a 16-point lead in the first quarter.
New Orleans played without center Anthony Davis and guard Jrue Holiday. Davis, averaging 24.2 points and 10.4 rebounds, sat out with a sprained left toe suffered late in Wednesday night's win at Detroit. Holiday, a former 76ers All-Star guard, missed a second straight game with right ankle inflammation.
Alexis Ajinca had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans and Eric Gordon also scored 16.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.