How Will Anthony Davis Injury Affect Pelicans Homestand?
By Mike Delayo
With 1:56 left to play in the third quarter against the Nuggets Anthony Davis went down. After being helped off of the court, about 15 minutes went by with no update. Then, with 8:44 left in the fourth he returned to the court.
He was definitely still reeling from the injury, and Monty pulled him as a result. At the very least, that final stint showed that the injury was most likely not too serious.
Nakia Hogan of the Times Picayune reported this morning that after receiving an MRI, Davis had been diagnosed with a grade 1 adductor (groin) strain, and will be listed as day-to-day for the near future.
Anthony Davis has a grade 1 left adductor strain. He is day to day.
— Nakia Hogan (@nakiahogan) January 29, 2015
Given the competitive nature of Davis, who has just earned a starting spot in February’s All-Star Game, it is hard to imagine him on the bench if he can still contribute. That said, I would be surprised if management was not as safe as possible with their budding superstar.
Naturally the Pelicans will host two of the hottest teams in the league in the coming days: the Los Angeles (6 game win streak, 32-14 on the season) and the Atlanta Hawks (17 game win streak, 38-8).
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If Davis is unable to go, the Pels (24-22) may slide back down to the .500 mark they seem to love so much. Hope is not lost though, as this team has shown the ability to compete even with the Unibrow off the court.
Their victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors, plus their overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors all came with Davis out of commission.
Jrue Holiday still being out is the key difference here, but I am confident that Alexis Ajinca will at the very least match Anthony Davis’ high level of play. Well, at least I wish I was.
All kidding aside the Pelicans will need a near perfect effort from the players on the floor, and even that might not be enough.
Ryan Anderson needs to get back to his flame throwing ways, as he will most likely start if Davis cannot go. He will have to carry a nice chunk of the offensive load, and given his improvement over the past three games (16-34 from the floor, 6-11 from three) I am cautiously optimistic that Ryno can get going this weekend. He will have his hands full with Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap, but if he cannot stop them, he will just have to out shoot them.
Apr 14, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Alexis Ajinca (42) dunks over Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the first quarter of a game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Gordon had a rough night shooting the ball against Denver (4-15 from the field), but he has been playing solid basketball as of late. Gordon will need to knock down the open shots he could not against Denver in these coming games for the Pels to have a chance.
He is shooting 45% since coming back from injury earlier this month and has hit 42% of his threes. He even logged 42 minutes against Denver, the most he has played since January 15th of last year. If he continues to create opportunities for both himself and his teammates (5 assists per game since his return) Gordon will at least give New Orleans a strong chance at victory.
Seeing Anthony Davis go down like that was an experience no one ever wants to see. Thankfully, his injury is not serious. The upcoming games would have been a challenge for the rest of the Pelicans even with a fully healthy Davis.
The playoff fire has not been extinguished yet, and it will be up to Davis’ supporting cast to keep it that way until he can return assuming he misses tonight’s game.