Gortat also set a season high with four of the Wizards' nine blocks as Washington snapped a two-game skid. Bradley Beal added 12 points, John Wall struggled to 11 on 5-of-14 shooting and dished out seven assists.

Anthony Davis broke out of an offensive slump with 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who continued their offensive woes by shooting 37 percent overall and going 6-of-17 from 3-point range. Jrue Holiday scored 17 points and Ryan Anderson added 11 off the bench as New Orleans dropped its third straight game and its fifth in its last seven contests.

Despite holding the Pelicans to 34 percent from the field in the first half, the Wizards led just 40-36 at the break, and New Orleans pulled even at 42 less than two minutes into the third quarter. The Pelicans couldn't maintain any rhythm on offense, though, and went more than 3 1/2 minutes between field goals while Washington pulled out to a 65-57 lead entering the fourth.

Davis scored seven straight points to push New Orleans ahead 77-76 with 3:47 remaining, but Paul Pierce answered with a bucket to reclaim the lead and drained a 3-pointer to make it a four-point margin with 2:13 left. The Wizards took care of the rest at the defensive end, allowing only one field goal over the final 3:46 to close it out.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington has not lost to New Orleans since Feb. 1, 2011. … New Orleans has failed to reach 100 points in its last five losses. … Washington PF Nene (plantar fasciitis) missed his third consecutive game.