Faried leads Nuggets' 137-107 rout of Pelicans

DENVER - Kenneth Faried scored a career-high 34 points and added 13 rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 137-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

The Nuggets raced out to a 40-26 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back, making 15 of 27 3-pointers compared to 2 of 9 for New Orleans. The 137 points tied the Nuggets' season high.

The Pelicans also had no answers inside for Faried, who went unchecked numerous times for backdoor dunks and easy short jumpers in surpassing his previous career best, 32 points against the Lakers on March 7.

Tyreke Evans scored 27 points for New Orleans, which was without All-Star forward Anthony Davis in the second half because of back spasms. He finished with six points and three rebounds.

Nuggets reserve Aaron Brooks had 24 points, going 6 of 8 from beyond the arc.

The victory moved the Nuggets ahead of the Pelicans for 11th place in the Western Conference and gave them a split of the four-game season series.

The Pelicans trailed 71-53 at halftime and the 71 points were the most they allowed in the first half this season. The previous high was 64 points twice.

Denver led 105-81 after three quarters and cruised to the victory from there.

The Nuggets led in assists (34-21) and blocks (12-7) and committed fewer turnovers (11-16). The Pelicans held a 42-40 rebounding edge.

NOTES: Nuggets F Wilson Chandler missed his sixth straight game with a left groin strain. ... Pelicans G Eric Gordon missed his seventh consecutive game with tendinitis in his left knee. ... The Nuggets tied their season high with 12 blocks. . The Nuggets' 15 3-pointers tied their season high.