Madison Square Garden

Jim Eichenhofer

NEW YORK – A five-year NBA teammate of Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday has now spent more seasons alongside the soon-to-be five-time All-Star than any New Orleans player. As a result, on numerous occasions Holiday has seen Davis and his otherworldly talent do things rarely seen on a basketball court. So on Sunday, when Holiday was initially asked about Davis’ 48-point performance at Madison Square Garden, the guard didn’t even sound impressed.

“I guess he didn’t want 50 (points) today,” Holiday joked in his postgame radio interview with WRNO 99.5 FM. “He missed a couple free throws. Fifty in the Garden, I feel like that’s a dream for most NBA players.”

Sure, Davis came up just shy of that magical scoring plateau and didn’t quite match Michael Jordan’s famous “double nickel” 55-point game at MSG. Still, Davis became the first visiting player since Jordan to post 40-plus points in consecutive trips to the “World’s Most Famous Arena.” It was the third straight time on the Knicks’ storied home floor that Davis tallied at least 35 points. The 48-point outburst led New Orleans to a 123-118 overtime victory, despite the Pelicans trailing by 19 points deep into the third quarter.

“It’s the Garden, so of course you want to have big games,” Davis said afterward of his knack for flourishing in the historic venue, which many NBA players list as their favorite arena. “But I just tried to help my team. We were struggling early as a team, missing shots and turning the ball over. We just weren’t being ourselves. So I just tried to get us going on both ends of the floor. I was able to just continue to make shots.”

Davis finished 17/30 from the field and 12/15 from the foul line, scoring 32 of his points in the second half and OT. After forcing an extra period by dropping in a layup with 3.5 seconds left, perhaps his most difficult hoop of Sunday came at 1:07 of OT, when he drained a turnaround stepback jumper from the baseline over Kristaps Porzingis for a 120-117 lead. The Chicago native punctuated that score by turning toward New York fans and – in a gesture vaguely reminiscent of Jordan in the NBA Finals vs. Portland – shrugging, indicating that even he was a bit surprised that everything he launched was finding the bottom of the net.

“AD was just huge for us,” Pelicans third-year head coach Alvin Gentry said. “When he gets into zones like that, he’s really good.”

Davis noted that there was some payback involved while facing the Knicks, who’d overcome a late eight-point deficit in New Orleans two weeks ago to beat the Pelicans in unlikely fashion. New Orleans struggled mightily early Sunday, trailing 29-13 after a quarter and coughing up 13 first-half turnovers. Behind Davis, though, the Pelicans settled in and picked up a needed victory that was the difference between them sitting in sixth place instead of eighth in Monday morning’s Western Conference standings.

“It’s always tough to play these guys, especially on the road,” Davis said on postgame TV, after logging 50 minutes of playing time. “We knew that we needed this one, and guys just battled.

“I’m tired. But whatever we have to do to get wins. I’m young, but I’m definitely feeling this one.”

Not far away in what's arguably the NBA’s most revered building, Holiday (31 points) discussed Davis’ performance and why it’s special to play well and win in the Big Apple.

“It’s the mecca of basketball,” Holiday said. “No matter how many times you set foot in here, you still have that aura, that feeling about being the best player you can (be) and wanting to come out and score as many points and make as many plays as you can, and definitely get the win.”

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Anthony Davis produces memorable 48-point game in Madison Square Garden

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EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Davis outside All-Star West locker room

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By his recent lofty standards, Anthony Davis compiled a quiet game Wednesday, scoring seven points in Team USA’s 105-62 exhibition win against the Dominican Republic. What makes the American offensive attack potent, however, is that even after several notable player withdrawals, including Kevin Durant and Kevin Love, it shouldn’t need Davis to put up prolific numbers every game.

Four days after putting on a show with 20 points and seven rebounds Saturday vs. Brazil, Davis and his USA teammates couldn’t quite connect on a few exchanges with the ball at Madison Square Garden, partly leading to a pedestrian stat line. Davis opened the game’s scoring with an 18-foot jumper just 12 seconds into the first quarter, but managed two more baskets the rest of the way, on a half-hook and a mid-range baseline jumper. Davis finished 3-for-6 from the field.

Team USA led by 22 at halftime and expanded its advantage to 80-45 by the end of the third quarter. The American squad is back in action Friday in an exhibition game vs. Puerto Rico. Friday’s game will also be played at Madison Square Garden and feature a 6 p.m. Central tip-off.

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Anthony Davis nets seven points in USA exhibition romp

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During the inaugural New Orleans Pelicans season, the club won nearly twice as many games in the confines of Smoothie King Center (22-19 record) as it did on the road (12-29). For the Pelicans to contend for a Western Conference playoff berth in 2014-15, they’ll have to perform much better outside the state of Louisiana – particularly early in the regular season.

From opening night Oct. 28 through the first 10 days of December, the Pelicans will play two-thirds of their games on the road, a 21-game span that includes 13 road contests. For New Orleans to get off to a fast start, it will have to pick up victories in some of the NBA’s toughest venues. Of those 13 away tilts, nine are against opponents that reached the postseason in 2014 (and one of the non-playoff foes is greatly improved Cleveland).

The early-season home schedule is a bit more hospitable, on paper at least. Of the first seven Smoothie King Center games, four feature visitors that were not in the playoffs last season. The three early Crescent City guests coming off postseason trips are Dallas, Charlotte and Oklahoma City.

Home sweet home in second half
While the first half of the season is brutal in terms of travel, the schedule flips in a favorable direction in late January. Over the Pelicans’ final 41 games, 23 will be played in Smoothie King Center. New Orleans has five three-game homestands (one in January, two in February, two in March).

All-Star break coincides with Mardi Gras
One of the much-discussed aspects of the new NBA schedule is its lengthened All-Star break. The Pelicans will benefit significantly, with a nine-day break between games Feb. 11 and 20. This season’s All-Star festivities are taking place in New York City, with the All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden.
For avid Pelicans fans partaking in Mardi Gras festivities, the expanded break also comes at a fortuitous time. Mardi Gras day in 2015 is Tuesday, Feb. 17, meaning New Orleans will not have to go on its usual multi-day Mardi Gras road trip. Instead, the team will be off during the culmination of Mardi Gras, with no conflicts between games and the celebration.

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Road improvement will be early-season key for Pelicans

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