NEW ORLEANS -- In the land of tall trees, Anthony Davis has made a tidy NBA living scooping up rebounds and scoring seemingly at will.

The fourth-year All-Star did it again Friday night, pouring in 28 points and grabbing a career-high 22 rebounds to lift the New Orleans Pelicans to a 91-87 victory over the Miami Heat at the Smoothie King Center.

"I was just trying to go out and get every rebound that was going to help us down on the other end," said Davis, who led the Pelicans (11-21) back from a 14-point deficit in the final 15 1/2 minutes. "We just came off a game where we gave up double-digit offensive rebounds (13 in a 121-110 loss to Oklahoma City), so I just tried to go get every rebound that was out there."

The Heat (10-21) led 68-54 late in the third quarter, but New Orleans used a 15-0 run that spanned the final three minutes of the third period and the first minute of the fourth quarter to take a 69-68 lead.

Then, after Miami responded with nine straight points to go back on top 77-69, the Pelicans scored 12 consecutive points to take control. Guards Langston Hughes and E'Twaun Moore each hit 3-pointers during the final run.

Davis gave New Orleans the lead for good, 83-81, on an 18-foot jumper, and guard Jrue Holiday, who finished with 22 points and six assists, scored seven points in the final four minutes to send the Heat to their fourth loss in in five games.

"The 22 rebounds were great for AD," said New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry. "I thought he had about six or seven rebounds where he just went and got them. They were big-time rebounds."

Although Miami center Hassan Whiteside battled Davis valiantly in the post -- grabbing 18 rebounds of his own -- Davis got the better of him down the stretch. Whiteside had a pair of rebound follows in the final three minutes, but Davis fought him for eight boards in the fourth quarter.

In helping the Pelicans outscore the Heat 47-38 in the second half, Davis had 19 points and 14 rebounds. Davis also made 2 of 3 from 3-point range, showing better range than he has all season.

"I've probably been one of his biggest fans from afar," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Davis. "His skill set, his commitment, each year he comes back a different player. All you have to do is watch that second half."

Jrue Holiday's driving layup put the Pelicans up 90-85 with a minute left, and he made a foul shot with 9.2 seconds left to give New Orleans a 91-87 lead. Holiday said watching Davis gobble up rebounds and draw the defense makes it easier for him to operate.

"Whiteside didn't know what to do," Holiday said. "If he stopped me, they had Tyler Johnson trying to take AD on the backside. Langston was open the next time down. Then Whiteside went with AD, and I had a wide-open layup. It's just that Anthony attracts so many people, especially down the stretch. They kind of leave it up to you to make a play at the rim. Once I get there, I've just got to convert."

Goran Dragic scored a team-high 23 points for the Heat.

"I feel like we controlled the game for 35 minutes and then they came out really aggressive and they played excellent defense," Dragic said. "We didn't execute well, and, in the end, we fell short. No excuses. We need to do more. At one point we were up by 14. That lead went out very quickly."

NOTES: Pelicans F Terrence Jones missed the game with nausea and stomach issues. ... New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said rookie G Buddy Hield is making good progress, even though he went 1 of 8 against Miami. "I think he's a typical rookie," Gentry said. "He works extremely hard, he puts in the work, he's very coachable and he's gotten better defensively, which is the big jump for every rookie in this league, being able to guard the J.J. Redicks of the world. It's still a matter of him determining shot selection. I don't think he takes a lot of bad shots, but he misses opportunities." ... Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his team's defense was excellent in the second half of a 115-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and needs to continue. "We really have to commit to being our best defensive version of a team that we can be," Spoelstra said. "We have the potential to be a top five or six defensive team. We have to embrace putting our hard hats on."