Anthony Davis fractures left hand, timetable TBD
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Pelicans.com, @Jim_Eichenhofer
NEW YORK – The play seemed so routine, so mundane at the time, that Anthony Davis couldn’t recall many of its specifics two hours later. What Davis did know is that on a New Orleans first-quarter possession Sunday, he tried to catch an alley oop pass and banged his left hand on the rim. As he sat in a somber Madison Square Garden postgame locker room, he also knew that he had sustained a non-displaced fracture in the hand. As the Pelicans traveled to Chicago for Monday’s game against the Bulls, Davis’ timetable for the injury was still to be determined.
“I was going up for a lob, got fouled and hit my hand on the rim,” said Davis, who continued to play several possessions before permanently exiting the 103-99 win over the Knicks. Davis couldn’t remember which New York player made contact with him from behind, but it was Amar’e Stoudemire, whistled for a defensive foul.
Davis’ status will be updated in the coming days. A few minutes after the final buzzer Sunday, the 6-foot-10 power forward was hopeful that the injury would not cause a lengthy absence. He missed 18 games during his 2012-13 rookie season, due to a combination of separate injuries.
“I haven’t found out anything yet,” Davis said of specifics on how much time he may miss. “I hope that it’s a short-term thing (so that I can) get back on the floor.”
The 20-year-old did not immediately realize the severity of his injury, running up and down the court following what was later revealed to be a fracture. Davis appeared to wince a couple times and looked down at his non-shooting hand, but seemed to be OK until being taken off the floor with 1:33 left in the first period.
“I just felt pain,” Davis said of his initial reaction. “I didn’t think it would keep me out (of the game), but it did. But we got the win. I’m happy that my team battled for the whole 48 (minutes) and got that W.”