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Anthony Davis leaves game with throat contusion Friday vs. Suns (Video)

By Will Osgood

Apr 10, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after taking a blow to the head from Phoenix Suns forward Earl Barron (30) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Davis would leave the game following the play. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after taking a blow to the head from Phoenix Suns forward Earl Barron (30) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Davis would leave the game following the play. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Anthony Davis left the Pelicans’ Friday night home game against Phoenix with a throat contusion. 

It didn’t take long for the New Orleans Pelicans‘ neverending musical chairs lineup to have another key member taken out of the game. On the same night that point guard Jrue Holiday played his first game since any Pelicans fan can remember, superstar and presumptive fifth-place MVP finisher Anthony Davis left the game due to an odd injury early in the second quarter in a key home game against the Phoenix Suns.

In what can only be explained as an epidemic, or a VooDoo curse, perhaps under Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans simply cannot keep all six of their big-name players in the lineup at once.

At one point this season, the Pelicans were actually down to one “star” player–thankfully for them, the most important, Davis. From the early part of the second quarter on tonight, the Pelicans were without the most important of the big six, though.

And apparently, they may stay that way the rest of the game.

The Pelicans won a game on December 12 at home against the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers where Davis also left early in the game–in that one he didn’t even make it to the second quarter.

Though “the blender” was obviously abuzz that night because King James was in town, that game was not as big as this one, however. The Pelicans entered the night seemingly needing to win each of their last four games.

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They entered the contest tied for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yet at halftime they led the Suns 47-41.

Fellow high-paid power forward Ryan Anderson–one of the league’s best 3-point shooters–started the third quarter at power forward for New Orleans.

Up to the first media timeout of the second half, the Pelicans had actually added to their lead, making the score 60-52 without their undisputed team MVP.

Through three quarters, Anderson had just 3 points, compared to Anthony Davis’ 13 in just 12 minutes played. But guard Eric Gordon also had 13 through three quarters, and Tyreke Evans had 10.

Holiday, in his first game back, scored just two points in the game’s first three quarters, but dished out three assists in just nine minutes played.

Update: Davis returned to the game to start the 4th quarter. 

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