DETROIT _ Blake Griffin shot better.
But it didn't matter with Anthony Davis on the floor.
Davis scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in leading the New Orleans Pelicans to a 118-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena.
It's the Pistons' third straight loss and the sheen is officially off the acquisition of Griffin, who scored 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
The Pelicans (30-26) chewed up the Pistons defense, scoring 54 points in the paint and going 14-for-34 from 3-point range (41.2 percent).
Nikola Mirotic and Jrue Holiday scored 21 points each for the Pelicans.
Andre Drummond finished with 13 points and 21 rebounds for the Pistons.
The Pistons (27-29) shot 25.7 percent (9-for-35) from 3-point range.
With the loss, the Pistons are now three games behind the Miami Heat for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy went with Jameer Nelson as the backup at point guard for the second straight game and he scored six points in the first half, finishing with 12 points and five assists in 20 minutes.
Eric Moreland received his most extensive playing time as part of the rotation since Griffin was acquired, playing seven minutes.
After going with Langston Galloway in the first half (he was 1-for-5 from 3-point range), Van Gundy went to rookie shooting guard Luke Kennard, who played 11 total minutes and collected five points, three assists and three rebounds.
Galloway reentered the game for a handful of minutes at the end of the third.
The Pistons were not ready for the second half.
They yielded three offensive rebounds to Emeka Okafor on the opening possession. Okafor converted the third into a tip basket.
Okafor retrieved his own missed shot on the next possession and scored on the putback, prompting a timeout from Van Gundy.
A faint and derisive "Stan Van Gundy!" chant could be heard.
This is the fourth season of the five-year deal Van Gundy signed in May 2014 to be president and coach.
