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It's no secret that Anthony Davis faces a rigorous workload this season, especially early on with absences to starting point guard Jrue Holiday and hybrid guard/forward Tyreke Evans.
The big man has been tasked with carrying most of the scoring and rebounding for the team, as well as his usual rim protection. Davis responded in the New Orleans Pelicans season opener by putting up 50 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, seven steals, and four blocks — an unprecedented stat line in the NBA.
Davis drew praise from the Golden State Warriors starters prior to the game, knowing they would be in for a tough night against a man who is on a mission.
“Nobody likes getting 50 dropped on them, whether you win or you lose,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry told ESPN's Chris Haynes after shootaround. “Even though you obviously want to win, you don’t want to overreact to him making tough shots. If you give up a bunch of transition layups, alley-oops, uncontested shots, then you have issues because that builds confidence. But that other stuff you can live with, with a guy that talented.”
Draymond Green and Kevin Durant will share the task of defending Davis on the block and the perimeter.
Article Continues Below“It’s hard to defend him,” Durant said. “You can’t. His first step is probably the quickest I’ve seen in a while at his position. He’s long, he can shoot it, he can dribble it, he can shoot the three — so he’s doing just about everything out there on the court.”
A four-time scoring champion in his own right, Durant didn't hesitate to make a bold prediction about this season.
“He is probably going to lead the league in scoring this year easily… 50 for him is a good game, and now [he’s like] move it to the next one,” Durant said. “It’s kind of a customary night for him, so we’ve got to be prepared tonight.”
The Warriors' new signing was right on the money, as Davis followed with yet another monster performance against them last night, dropping 45 points and 17 rebounds and falling short of a win yet again.
His total 95 points are the most in the first two games of the season since Michael Jordan.
