NEW ORLEANS — It’s almost as if the New Orleans Pelicans are trying to match that football team that plays next door.

The New Orleans Saints are the hottest team in the NFL, having won nine games in a row. They have scored 45 or more points in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.

The Pelicans have been on a roll themselves. They have won five of their last six games and averaged 131 points in sweeping a three-game home-stand against New York, Denver and San Antonio.

In their 140-126 victory against the Spurs on Monday night they scored the most points ever allowed by a team coached by San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich in a non-overtime game.

New Orleans will try and carry the momentum to the road as it begins a three-game trip in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Pelicans visit New York on Friday and Washington on Saturday.

“We are playing well at home now,” said forward Anthony Davis, who is six points shy of 10,000 for his career, “but now it is time to get back on the road and play against three tough teams and try to get those.”

The Pelicans are 8-1 at home and 2-6 on the road. Their only loss in the last six came at Minnesota a week ago.

But most of the losses came during a 0-5 road trip in which Davis, point guard Elfrid Payton and reserve forward Darius Miller were all injured. Davis played in one game, but was severely limited by an elbow injury that seems fine now.

“A lot of guys were in and out of the lineup, but that is no excuse,” Davis said. “I think we are just playing harder. We have gotten back in a rhythm offensively. I have found my rhythm and some guys are a lot more confident and I think we are just playing together.”

Payton returned at the start of the home-stand, but suffered a fractured left little finger that will require surgery and sideline him for six weeks.

But after he went out of the lineup again, New Orleans rallied to beat the Knicks, then rolled past the Nuggets and the Spurs.

“We’ve locked in,” guard Jrue Holiday said, “especially in times where we needed to coming down the stretch.”

Holiday is playing more point guard than his customary shooting guard position because of Payton’s absence. Rookie Frank Jackson will get more minutes off the bench and he played well against the Spurs, finishing with 12 points in 124 minutes.

“I think what you’re going to see with Frank and it’s the same with any rookie,” coach Alvin Gentry said, “is that he’s going to have some great plays and he’s going to struggle a little bit, but the only way he’s going to learn is that he has to be in those situations, actually playing and out on the floor. 

“The one thing that I think is good with him is that he’s not a guy that makes the same mistakes. To me, that’s telling me that he’s learning and doing the right thing.”