NEW ORLEANS --DeMarcus Cousins waited impatiently for a breakout game in his new city, but it all came together Tuesday night for the New Orleans Pelicans center.

Cousins scored a game-high 41 points -- his most since arriving from Sacramento in a blockbuster trade after the All-Star break -- and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds to torch the Memphis Grizzlies 95-82 at the Smoothie King Center.

In leading the Pelicans (30-41) to their fifth win in six games, Cousins showcased every tool in his deep arsenal.

While Cousins said it was "fun" toying with Memphis center Marc Gasol for three layups in the fourth quarter with a spin move on the baseline, a crossover dribble and a bull rush down the lane, he felt best about a lob pass he threw to Anthony Davis near the end of a 21-0 third-quarter run that blew the game open.

Davis finished the play with an alley-oop dunk, and the Pelicans were on their way to a 57-46 lead after having trailed 46-36 less than six minutes earlier.

Pelicans fans, who had little to cheer about this season and who grew wary after New Orleans lost six of Cousins' first eight games in New Orleans, started chanting his name.

"It did feel good," Cousins said. "It felt good to be embraced. It felt good to be wanted by a city. (The lob) was my favorite play of the game. I missed him earlier in the game, and I was like, 'AD, I just got to throw it up there. Either they're going to foul you or you're going to get it.' I just threw it. He does what he does."

"Cousins was phenomenal," Memphis coach David Fizdale said. "Inside-out, attack off the dribble, in the post -- he showed the whole package and what people expect from a guy of that talent level. He really brought it. They had 95 points; he had 41 of those. That's says a lot of kind of where he's going."

Cousins scored 16 points in the first half, added 14 in the decisive 32-13 third quarter and dominated Gasol in the fourth, beating him three times in succession as the Pelicans, knowing he was feeling it, spaced the court and let him go one-on-one against Gasol before help arrived. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Pelicans outscored Memphis 61-41 in the second half.

"He's a great player, and that's what he's more than capable of," said Davis, who scored 19 points and had 13 rebounds despite having a sore throat and feeling weak. "It's tough to do that every night with the team we have. If he comes with that same effort, we're going to keep going to him. We tried to give him the ball."

Memphis (40-31) saw its four-game winning streak snapped. Point guard Mike Conley had a team-high 16 points but only three assists. Gasol, Vince Carter and Wayne Selden were 0 of 13 from 3-point range.

The 21-0 third-quarter run came straight out of Cousins' arsenal. Cousins scored nine points during the 5:49 span, and Davis added six. Cousins did it in a variety of ways, hitting three 3-pointers and adding another three-point play with drive to the basket and a foul shot.

New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry says he's not amazed by Cousins' multifaceted game.

"I don't think so because we've seen it before, everybody's seen it before," Gentry said. "It's not like this was his career high or anything like that. He's put up numbers, and when he hasn't been in foul trouble, he's been a very effective player."

Gasol credited Cousins with making the big plays when he needed to.

"He made shots from the outside, and that made us come out, and then he got going," Gasol said. "He took three dribbles and got into the paint. It was hard for me to trust who was behind me at times. He got me on the spin. We got caught up and tangled, and when your arm is tangled, you can't put any pressure on him."

Cousins said he and Davis are trying to model themselves after the Clippers' frontcourt tandem of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

"D.J. sets the screens for Blake, and (Griffin is) able to throw it up there to D.J.," Cousins said. "We want to get that game going."

NOTES: Asked about NBA commissioner Adam Silver's concern about the growing incidences of teams resting star players, Gentry said: "We haven't rested anyone. We'll have plenty of rest if we don't play well this next week. To me, it's the individual coaches. It's whatever you think is best for your team." ... The Grizzlies rested G/F Tony Allen because of light knee soreness, coach David Fizdale said. ... Asked about the rest controversy, Fizdale said: "I grew up on the back end of the old school, so if you're healthy you played. I also understand what some of these teams are looking at. They're paying these guys a lot of money. ... Teams are going to err on the side of protecting that investment."