NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans have had difficulty getting out of the gate in games this season, and playing without leading scorer Anthony Davis and guard Tyreke Evans didn't seem to bode well for a fast start Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center.

Enter forward Ryan Anderson, who blistered the Kings for 30 first-half points -- the most scored by an NBA player in the first half of any game this season -- to spark the surging Pelicans to a 114-105 victory over Sacramento.

Anderson normally comes off the bench to provide instant offense, but he tied his career high with 36 points, with most of it due to his quick start.

"This was a huge game for us to win, especially because they're ahead of us in the playoff race," said Anderson, who scored 18 points in the first quarter as New Orleans jumped out to a 37-19 lead. "For us to get a win, especially short-handed, was really big, and a lot of guys stepped up."

Three of the biggest were point guard Jrue Holiday, who came off the bench in his preferred reserve role to score 25 points and dish out eight assists. Guard Norris Cole started the game by missing his first five shots but rebounded down the stretch to finished with 17 points, a career-high-tying 10 assists and seven rebounds,

And guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, making his first NBA start because of Evans' sore right knee, responded with an early windmill dunk, two steals and three 3-pointers to finish with 14 points. Dejean-Jones' dunk in the first quarter over the taller Omri Casspi got his teammates jumping off the bench.

Playing on a 10-day contract, Dejean-Jones got the unexpected start when New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry wanted to keep Holiday's off-the-bench rhythm intact.

"It was very surprising, but it's all a part of that," Dejean-Jones said. 'It's a 10-day contract. You got 10 days (to see) whatever happens. I tried to make the most of it."

Anderson's 30-point first half also set a Pelicans franchise record for first-half scoring.

In the absence of Davis, sidelined after suffering a concussion Monday, Anderson came out firing, hitting 11 of 17 from the floor, including 4 of 8 from behind the arc, before halftime as New Orleans built a 63-53. The Pelicans shot 16 of 27 from the floor in the first quarter.

The Kings (20-26) sliced the New Orleans lead to 80-75 on guard Rajon Rondo's two foul shots, but New Orleans (17-28) closed the third quarter with a 12-4 run to take a 92-79 lead into the fourth and coasted to its sixth victory in eight games.

After rolling over opponents during most of the month of January, Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins struggled from the floor early, missing 6 of his first 8 shots before hitting his final four shots of the second quarter. Cousins finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and guard Ben McLemore matched him with 26 points.

Kings assistant coach Chad Iske, filling in for George Karl, who missed the game with a stomach ailment, said the Kings simply could not overcome the Pelicans' fast start.

"We can't give up 37 points in the first quarter," Iske said. "You're kind of fighting uphill the rest of the night. You can't spot people 18 points (lead) on their home court."

"We came out with no flow," added Cousins, who was selected as a reserve in the NBA All-Star Game. "Ryan had some scorchers in the first half, and his effort alone kind of put the game away. Most of the game we were fighting back but we were in too deep of a hole to get out of it."

Gentry said he loved Anderson's offensive production and the way in which Dejean-Jones handled the pressure of his first start.

"We liked him in training camp and we just felt like starting him and putting Jrue in his (same) role that he's so familiar with was great, and I think it worked out well both ways," Gentry said.

NOTES: The Pelicans played without PF Anthony Davis. Coach Alvin Gentry said Davis feels fine after taking an inadvertent elbow to the head from teammate Tyreke Evans on Monday night. But Davis did not get official clearance to return according to the NBA's concussion protocol. "I'm not real sure," Gentry said. "I know he said he passed (tests No.) 1 and 2, and 3 and 4 are tomorrow. I don't know what that means. I didn't do real well in the ACT." ... Until Thursday night's win, the Pelicans had been 0-5 this season in the games that Davis missed. ... Pelicans G Tyreke Evans rested a sore right knee. ... Kings coach George Karl also missed the game because of stomach problems, handing the reins to assistant head coach Chad Iske. "We usually go to lunch down here (in New Orleans), and he went straight to his room, so I knew he was in bad shape," Iske said. "I'm just trying to prepare -- similar to what we always do -- except there is a big difference (sitting) one seat over and some other stuff I have to focus on than just the defense."