Pelicans (31-26), Lakers (23-33)
The team’s starting center has been sidelined with a season-ending injury for nine games. The starting point guard was ejected in the first half. No problem – just let Anthony Davis take over the game.
For a third straight contest, Davis put up All-NBA numbers, leading the Pelicans to a third consecutive victory. After pouring in 44 and 38 points in previous road wins over Brooklyn and Detroit, the five-time All-Star registered 42 points against Los Angeles.
Another monster performance from Davis was needed partly due to the early exit of Rajon Rondo, who was jointly tossed from Wednesday’s game along with Isaiah Thomas, after they got into a minor scrap and continued to jaw at each other. By that stage New Orleans had already established its dominance on the offensive end, setting a franchise record with 46 first-quarter points, one shy of a team mark for any quarter.
It wasn’t long ago that some began counting New Orleans out of the Western Conference playoff chase, and understandably so, with a 1-5 record in the six games following DeMarcus Cousins’ season-ending injury. Since then, however, the Pelicans have injected new life into their hopes of reaching the postseason, despite being without a four-time All-Star.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Davis dropped in his 42nd point of the game with eight-plus minutes remaining, giving New Orleans a 19-point lead at 115-96. The Lakers started subbing in deep reserves a few minutes later, trailing by 20-plus points in the first game of a back-to-back for them that concludes Thursday at Minnesota.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Davis is in the midst of one of the finest stretches of his six-year NBA career, which is saying something given how productive he’s been since Year 3, when he was in the MVP discussion and led New Orleans to a playoff berth. For the third time as a pro, Davis compiled a 30-point half Wednesday, racking up 31 prior to intermission. Perhaps most impressively about Davis’ performance, he only needed 18 shots from the field to get his 42 points, going 15/18. He was 10/11 on free throws and 2/2 at the three-point arc.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“(Cousins) called me and said, ‘What are you doing? You need to go out there and just be you.’ Ever since then, he told me, the coaching staff told me, the team told me, and I’ve just been playing aggressive.” – Davis on his approach changing, which has led to him scoring 38-plus points in every game of NOLA’s current winning streak
“That loss (of Cousins) was tough, but guys are stepping up, trying to fill that offense that we’re lacking. Bringing (Nikola Mirotic) in is a huge part, he’s shooting the ball well, he can post up, drive and do a lot of things at the offensive end. And he’s doing a great job defensively, too. I feel like we’ve got everybody playing with a lot of confidence right now.” – Davis on the Pelicans overall
“We want to make sure we come out with a lot of energy after this (All-Star) break and try to keep this win streak going.” – Davis on the Pelicans, who won’t play again until hosting Miami on Feb. 23
BY THE NUMBERS
35: New Orleans assists, led by 11 from Jrue Holiday. Five other Pelicans dished out at least three assists, including five by Rondo in only 8:18 of playing time.
52: Bench points for New Orleans, led by Darius Miller’s 19 points on 4/6 three-point shooting. Mirotic tallied 16 points despite a very rough shooting start Wednesday.
48-37: Pelicans rebounding advantage, an area of recent improvement after it had been a problem spot for much of the season. In his second start at center, Emeka Okafor grabbed eight boards.
7: Zatarain’s is donating meals to the Second Harvest Food Bank for every Pelicans dunk at home games this season. New Orleans threw down seven slams vs. Los Angeles.