Anthony Davis leads Pelicans in monster performance on his birthday
Anthony Davis kept the New Orleans Pelicans’ playoff hopes alive for another day with a historic performance against the Charlotte Hornets.
The New Orleans Pelicans may still be 4.5 games back of the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but thanks to Anthony Davis’ monster performance Saturday night, their dwindling playoffs hopes are still alive.
In a head-to-head matchup with another team trying to keep its fading playoff hopes alive in the Charlotte Hornets, the Brow was absolutely sensational. He finished the game with 46 points, 21 rebounds and three assists, going 18-for-31 from the field and 4-for-5 from downtown.
In a three-point overtime win on the road, Davis helped the Pellies avoid a potential backbreaking loss and made up for an underwhelming 11-point, 4-for-11 performance from DeMarcus Cousins. But the best part? Davis did it on his 24th birthday.
The best from AD's 46 point, 21 rebound BIRTHDAY performance in @PelicansNBA victory! pic.twitter.com/926wclh4AY
— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2017
The Pelicans’ 26-40 record is hardly the mark of a playoff team, even in a down year for the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture. New Orleans is still five games behind the Nuggets in the loss column, with only 16 games left to turn it around. However, for the time being, the Brow’s squad lives to fight another day.
Things haven’t gone according to plan this season, even after the DeMarcus Cousins trade that was more of a heist.
Since adding Boogie, the Pelicans are only 3-6, with one of those wins coming in a game where Cousins was suspended. Adding perhaps the best center in the NBA was supposed to push the Pellies back into the playoff picture, but they’ve floundered in the most critical stretch of their season.
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However, the long-term future is still bright, assuming Cousins doesn’t leave New Orleans in free agency in 2018. With two top-10 players on the roster, the Pelicans have the foundations of a future contender, and games like Anthony Davis’ historic performance on Saturday are a nice reminder why.