Anthony Davis (left adductor strain) is officially listed on New Orleans’ injury report as questionable for Wednesday’s home game vs. Milwaukee, which would make him roughly a 50-50 proposition to play, but listening to Davis this morning after shootaround, it sounds much more likely that he’ll suit up against the Bucks.
“I feel good. I’ve gotten a lot of treatment, a lot of work on it,” the four-time All-Star said. “I should be able to go tonight, (but) I’m probably a game-time decision. I do feel good enough to go tonight.”
The power forward noted that his warmup will be the final determining factor on whether he returns to the lineup after being sidelined at Houston on Monday.
“I’ll go through the pregame workout and make sure everything is fine,” Davis said. “That’s really the real tester. If that’s fine, I should be good.”
Other notes from shootaround inside the Ochsner Sports Performance Center:
Davis on one key against Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo: “He’s struggling with his jump shot right now, so try to keep him out of the paint. Once he gets in the paint, he’s tough to deal with. Try to slow down his transition – he likes to get out and run. If we do those things, and then make other guys beat us, we should be fine.” …
New Orleans (14-14) is in the midst of a superb offensive stretch, scoring at least 115 points in five of the last six games, even producing big numbers while Davis has missed recent games and stretches of other nights. Davis on why the Pelicans are playing so well on offense, through various combinations and lineups: “I think we’re just moving the basketball, trusting each other. Guys don’t care who scores. When you play like that, everyone’s confidence is high. Just touching the basketball makes guys’ confidence get up. We try to make sure everybody touches the ball within each possession, and try to get great shots. Pass up good shots for great shots, and guys are confident enough to make shots. When we’re playing like that, we’re a tough team to beat.”
E’Twaun Moore, who is leading the NBA in three-point percentage during the month of December, believes increased familiarity with teammates and the team’s offensive system is paying dividends. “It’s still early in the season, so we’re still trying to figure each other out,” he said. “Playing off DeMarcus (Cousins) and AD and Jrue (Holiday) has been making it a lot easier for everyone. They’re making the right reads, getting us easy shots, so that’s a big part of it, too.”