The New Orleans Pelicans are literally fighting for their NBA season post-All-Star break as they cling to the eighth spot in the Western Conference. They are only in front of the ninth-place LA Clippers by a game, so the Pelicans have a ton of work left to do to feel secure about their playoffs chances.
Their challenge is to stay in position for a postseason run without their All-Star starting center DeMarcus Cousins who is out for the season with a torn Achilles.
Cousins averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this season while making a devastating twin towers duo along with Anthony Davis prior to his injury.
Talks around Davis himself has been centered on whether or not he wants to remain in New Orleans for the long haul. While he has expressed his loyalty to the Pelicans, the team needs to prove it can at least contend for a title so as not to put Davis’ contributions to waste.
One of the biggest factors will be if the Pelicans can retain Cousins who is in a contract year, and will possibly seek out a supermax contract regardless of his rehab process.
Davis insists that he wants to stay in New Orleans, and says that he would rather think about free agency once he gets there. The former Kentucky Wildcat could exercise his player option at the end of the 2020-21 season.
None of that matters now because the team is on a mission, and Davis gave the Miami Heat a taste of exactly what he's capable of.
The wiry big man led the team to a 124-123 win over the Heat in a barn burner while also accomplishing a historical achievement along the way, scoring 45 points, adding in 17 rebounds, two assists, five blocks and five steals.
This according to EliasSports makes Anthony Davis the only player to achieve 40 points, five steals and five blocks since blocks were first began being recorded.
Anthony Davis is the only player with a 40-pt, 15-reb, 5-stl and 5-blk game since steals and blocks were first tracked in 1973-74 😳(via @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/zMKiW1xYoK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 24, 2018
The only other player that came close to this stat line was prime Dwight Howard in 2009, but without the steals.
https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/967244367470702592
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