Davis is Back! Pelicans Beat Pistons 88-85 in Thriller
Here’s a tough question to answer, why doesn’t Anthony Davis take 30 shots every game?
After missing extended time and his chance to start in the NBA All-Star game, Davis is officially back.
The New Orleans Pelicans sit at 33-28 just one loss below the Oklahoma City Thunder who are 33-27 and looking poised to make a run.
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It is between these two teams to decide who will compete for a championship this summer, and wins like this prove the Pelicans won’t go down without a fight.
Though the Pelicans were able to pull out a victory, this game began in an extremely ugly fashion. The Pelicans had only 2 assists in the entire first quarter and were shooting 16% worse from the floor then the Detroit Pistons (23-37).
The Pistons were playing their world-famous brand of tough body-buising basketball, and the Pelicans didn’t look like they could keep up.
In the second quarter Jodie Meeks rose from the dead. He didn’t play at all in the first, but he scored 14 points in the second quarter alone.
The Pelicans began to respond, Davis was shooting the ball confidently and he had 19 points by halftime.
The Pelicans utilized their Tyreke Evans-Anthony Davis pick and pop game to its full potential and Greg Monroe simply wasn’t able to keep up with Davis defensively.
Both teams fought extremely hard and the lead changed hands on almost every possession. In the third quarter New Orleans began to gain serious momentum and held the Pistons to just 17 points on the defensive end.
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Both Drummond and Monroe were fighting extremely hard on the boards though, and ended with 18 and 15 rebounds respectfully.
At the start of the 4th quarter Davis began to play a brand of defense I didn’t even know he had in stock.
He literally ripped the ball out of Greg Monroe’s hands mid layup and promptly sprinted the floor back to the other end. He also forced a travel by trapping Monroe baseline and denying him so hard he could barely breathe.
Davis ended the game with an insane 8 blocks and held Monroe and Drummond to 12-28 shooting.
Davis was yelling and pumping his teammates up on the defensive end, and then stone cold killing Detroit on offense.
Mar 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after a basket by guard Tyreke Evans during the fourth quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Pistons 88-85. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Davis was shooting the ball almost every time he touched it, and frankly it’s about time he became more of a ball-hog. Too many times this season we have seen Tyreke and Gordon take possessions away from Davis, despite the fact that he is one of the most efficient scorers in the entire NBA.
Tyreke was a little trigger happy from behind the line, but his 9 assists make up for his liberal shot selection.
Quincy Pondexter also had a fantastic game, but you wouldn’t know it from the box score. Pondexter is an extremely underrated athlete, and he was launching himself into the crowd with reckless abandon in the hopes of saving every possible loose ball.
With just over fourty seconds left Tyreke pulled out his signature move, a fearless drive to the rim. He put the Pelicans up by two with just over 40 seconds left and did it without a moment’s hesitation.
Mar 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans (1) drives past Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jodie Meeks matched his courage, he pushed the ball up the court and took a contested fade-away to put the Pistons within two.
Davis took the next shot. He squared up from 20 feet and launched a perfect swish the second after his hands made contact with the basketball. Tyreke was fouled next and he iced one of two free throws to secure an 88-85 victory.
Despite Davis ending with an insane 39 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocks, tonight’s win was a team victory. Everyone fought hard against a team known for playing it tough and cracking skulls.
Wins like these show that the Pelicans are more than capable of taking the next step and becoming a playoff team.
The Thunder should start thinking about sleeping with one eye open…