Minutes after the final buzzer Wednesday, Pelicans Coach Monty Williams told reporters that All-Star forward Anthony Davis will undergo an MRI for a groin injury Thursday morning. Davis left Wednesday’s defeat to Denver in the third quarter, but was able to get back on the floor with eight-plus minutes remaining in the fourth period. However, with 46 seconds remaining and New Orleans only trailing by six points, Williams elected to remove Davis from the game, based on some negative physical indicators from the 21-year-old.
“I didn’t like that he started slowing down,” Williams said of Davis. “He started dragging his leg a little, so I thought he was laboring a little bit. I can’t put a guy out there – sometimes I have to be the brains – even though they have the heart to go out there. I just didn’t like the way he looked. When I said something to the coaches, they all agreed (so Williams substituted for Davis).
“It looks like he has a groin injury right now. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow morning to find out for sure. The doctors wouldn’t allow him to come back in the game (in the fourth quarter) if they didn’t think it was safe. (Davis) probably pushed the issue a little bit so he could get back on the floor, because that’s who he is.”
Davis sustained the injury while colliding with Denver’s Kenneth Faried in the middle of the lane. Both players were trying to reel in an errant New Orleans pass. Davis, who was prone on the baseline, was taken to the locker room after the collision.