Anthony Davis, Pelicans Earn Tight Win over James Harden, Rockets

The New Orleans Pelicans (27-21) have flashed glimpses of their tantalizing ceiling all month long, and they added to their impressive January resume with a 115-113 win over the Houston Rockets at Smoothie King Center on Friday night. 

New Orleans has now won four games in a row and is 9-3 since the start of 2018.

As has been the case all season long, the All-Star tandem of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins paced the Pelicans on both ends of the floor. 

Davis finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five blocks, while DeMarcus Cousins posted 15 points, 13 boards and 11 dimes for his third triple-double of the season and second in his last three games. 

Cousins also helped seal the game for the Pelicans when he secured an offensive rebound and deposited a layup through contact to put with New Orleans up four with 15 seconds left in regulation. 

Boogie Cousins Gets the Dagger Rebound and Seals the Game

Unfortunately for the Pelicans, Cousins was forced to leave the game after he suffered an apparent non-contact lower left leg injury when he chased his own miss on the ensuing foul shot. 

According to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, there is "significant fear" within the organization that Cousins suffered a serious Achilles injury. 

Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania added Cousins was initially diagnosed with a torn left Achilles. 

The New York Times' Marc Stein and Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix noted a long-term injury would be a damaging setback for all involved: 

Before Cousins was helped off the floor, the Pelicans produced one of their most balanced efforts of the season. 

Beyond the two big men, point guard Jrue Holiday was superb with 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Even more impressive was the performance of swingman Darius Miller, who dropped 20 points (6-of-10 from three) off the bench. 

Thanks to Miller's eruption, Pelicans reserves produced 39 points after entering the night ranked last in bench scoring at 23.5 points per game. 

And had it not been for Miller's clutch shooting, the Pelicans may not have been able to withstand Houston's late charge. 

Although the Rockets trailed by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, they steadily chipped away at the hefty deficit and tied things at 104 with 2:34 left in the final frame. 

But with Miller, Cousins and Davis all clicking, Chris Paul (38 points, eight assists) and James Harden (23 points, 11 assists) couldn't quite scrape together the scores necessary to complete a gaudy comeback. 

With their four-game winning streak snapped, the Rockets will regroup and aim to get back in the win column when they host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. 

The Pelicans will also be home Sunday for a showdown against Lou Williams, Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers.