Agbaji and Battle rain down 3s as the Raptors beat the hapless Pelicans 119-93

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ochai Agbaji and Jamison Battle each scored 24 points, and the Toronto Raptors won on the road for the first time this season, 119-93 over the hapless New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Djounte Murray returned from a fractured left hand that sidelined him for 17 games and looked rusty early. He finished with 14 points, but missed all seven of his first-half shots and shot 5 of 17 overall as the Pelicans lost their sixth straight game and 15th out of 17.

CJ McCollum scored 19 points in his second game since returning from an adductor strain and missing 13 contests.

RJ Barrett had 22 points and 11 assists for Toronto, which came in 0-10 on the road. Scottie Barnes added 17 points for the Raptors, who hit a season-high 21 3s.

Battle, who was 3 of 10 on 3s for the season, went 6 for 8.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who played without starters Zion Williamson (left hamstring), Brandon Ingram (right calf) and Herb Jones (right shoulder), as well as prominent reserve Trey Murphy III (left knee bruise).

Raptors: Toronto's 21 made 3s were their most since January 2021.

Pelicans: Coach Willie Green went with a relatively small starting lineup. After 6-foot-11 center Yves Missi, the 6-6 Boston was New Orleans' next-tallest starter, followed by Murray (6-5), Javonte Green (6-4) and McCollum (6-3). The Pelicans went 11 of 35 from deep.

After assisting on Agbaji's alley-oop layup, Barrett scored eight straight points on two free throws and three layups, sparking a 16-2 run that put Toronto up 79-53.

Toronto shot 21 of 52 (40.4%) from 3-point range after coming in last in the NBA in made 3-pointers with 10.4 per game.

The Raptors play at Miami on Friday night, when the Pelicans visit Memphis.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) tries to block a shot by Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Agbaji (30) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter and forward Scottie Barnes (4) leap for a rebound against New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) shoots against Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl shoots against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) falls for a loose ball against Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett (9) drives down court against New Orleans Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton (22) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Agbaji (30) goes to the basket ahead of New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) and guard Dejounte Murray (5) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

PHOENIX (AP) — Executions will resume in Arizona following a two-year pause, the state's top prosecutor says.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday that she will soon seek an execution warrant for Aaron Brian Gunches, who is on death row after being convicted of killing his girlfriend's ex-husband.

Mayes said her office had been preparing to resume the use of the death penalty in Arizona since earlier this year as it worked with state corrections officials to review and improve procedures.

Gov. Katie Hobbs had promised not to carry out any executions until there was confidence the state can do so without violating any laws. The attorney general's office had said it would not seek a court order to carry out the death penalty while a review was underway.

The review Hobbs had ordered effectively ended this month when she dismissed the retired federal magistrate she had appointed earlier to head the review.

The governor's spokesman, Christian Slater, said Hobbs “remains committed to upholding the law while ensuring justice is carried out in a way that’s transparent and humane.”

Corrections officials “conducted a thorough review of policies and procedures and made critical improvements to help ensure executions carried out by the State meet legal and constitutional standards,” Slater said.

The attorney general said in May that executions could resume by early 2025, after the review was completed.

Mayes said that in line with that timeline she will ask the Arizona Supreme Court in the coming weeks to issue an execution warrant for Gunches, who was sentenced to death for the murder of Ted Price.

Gunches had been set to be put to death in April 2023. But Hobbs’ office said the state wasn’t prepared to enforce the death penalty because it lacked staff with expertise to carry out executions,. At the time, it also said it could not find an IV team to carry out the lethal injection and didn’t have a contract with a pharmacist to compound the pentobarbital needed for an execution.

Gunches had pleaded guilty to a murder charge in the shooting death of Price, who was his girlfriend’s ex-husband, near the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.

Arizona last carried out three executions in 2022 following a nearly eight-year hiatus brought on by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched and because of difficulties obtaining drugs for execution.

FILE - Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes pauses during an interview with The Associated Press, Nov. 21, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)