Pelicans (26-40), Hornets (29-37)
CHARLOTTE – Anthony Davis knows how to celebrate a birthday. While turning 24 on Saturday, the four-time All-Star put the New Orleans Pelicans on his back in the fourth quarter and overtime, en route to piling up 46 points, the third-most he’s scored in an NBA game. Davis also grabbed 21 rebounds, notching a 40-20 combination that only he has compiled over the last five years in the league. As a result, New Orleans picked up a much-needed road win, outlasting Charlotte in a wild affair in North Carolina.
Davis’ 46 points were tied for the fourth-most an NBA player has scored on their birthday over the past 40 years. The only players ahead of him on that list are Shaquille O’Neal, Dominique Wilkins and LeBron James, with the tie being shared with Michael Jordan.
“Knowing the position we’re in as a team, I just wanted to go out there and compete to the highest level,” Davis said, referencing that New Orleans entered Saturday five games out of eighth place in the Western Conference. “I was just trying to lead the team to a victory and I was able to do that. Other guys stepped up and made big plays as well, then down the stretch, I just tried to help the team win.”
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Charlotte forced a turnover after cutting its deficit from five to three in the final few seconds of overtime, but Kemba Walker’s contested three-point attempt from the right wing bounced off the right side of the rim at the buzzer, sealing the New Orleans victory. Davis scored nine of the Pelicans’ 13 points in the extra period, with Jrue Holiday and Jordan Crawford splitting the other four points.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Aside for a 59-point game at Detroit last season and a 50-pointer in this season’s opener vs. Denver, Davis had never been more prolific during his five-year career than he was Saturday. Pelicans teammates praised him for how he let the game come to him, never forcing shots, then dominating in the fourth period and OT. The power forward deposited countless critical buckets for the Pelicans, who were up 83-78 entering the fourth but had to withstand a Charlotte charge.
Davis mostly used a combination of tough-to-stop drives into the paint for short floaters, along with the best three-point shooting night for him as a pro. During one stretch of the fourth period, nine consecutive points by him all came on treys. He finished 4/5 from beyond the arc, establishing a career high in long-distance makes. His previous best was three.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Solomon Hill had scored a total of 15 points in his previous five games, but on Saturday, the small forward racked up 14 in the first half alone, a welcome additional source of offense. Hill finished with 16, his top scoring tally since he posted 23 at Memphis in the final game before the All-Star break. The Arizona product also made a crucial defensive play at the end of regulation, preventing Walker from firing a shot before the buzzer, after making a deflection into the backcourt.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“I just thought we hung in. We kept battling.” – Alvin Gentry on the perseverance required of New Orleans to prevail
“That’s why he’s The Man. That’s why he is who he is. He kind of let us do the work for a little while, but then he took over when it counted.” – Dante Cunningham (14 points, 6/7 shooting) on Davis letting the game come to him before erupting with the outcome at stake
“Really how unselfish he is. He really didn’t shoot until the second quarter. He saw other players had it going, so he just waited his turn, and then just took over from there. Even though he’s young, it just shows the mature player he is.” – Crawford, making note of the patience exhibited by Davis to bide his time until the moment was right to be a go-to force
“When those guys make shots, it makes it a lot easier for myself, DeMarcus (Cousins), Jrue, everybody, to get into the lane. It makes it a lot easier for us.” – Davis on the Pelicans shooting 14/34 from three-point range
“I’m happy we got the win. Everybody contributed, which makes it easier on everybody. A lot of those shots I’m getting are catch-and-shoot. You can’t ask for much more than easy looks. It’s a team thing that is making it easier on me.” – Crawford after his third straight double-digit scoring game, this time with 19 points, including five three-pointers in seven tries
BY THE NUMBERS
14: Pelicans three-pointers, two shy of their season high in that category.
6: New Orleans players in double-digit scoring, including two off the bench in Cunningham and Crawford.
25: Minutes played by Cousins, who was plagued by foul trouble and had to be taken out of the game a couple times as a result of being in jeopardy.