Davis Injury Not Serious but Pelicans Lose to Bulls, 107-72
By Mike Delayo
The Pelicans (27-24) played their hearts out on Friday night in their nail-biting victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, the team’s tank proved to be empty for their game tonight against the visiting Chicago Bulls.
Anthony Davis also went down after an insane alley-oop attempt (which he successfully converted) late in the second quarter:
It looked like he just lost a handle on the rim, and fell hard as a result. Tony Snell was inexplicably not called for a foul on the play even though he clearly made contact with Davis on the way up. AD stayed in the game for a few minutes but was clearly in pain, and he returned to the locker room for halftime a few minutes early. Sideline reporter Jen Hale posted an update early in the second half:
After nasty fall on R shoulder, Anthony Davis diagnosed w/contusion. Out for rest of game vs #Bulls. X rays negative, nothing broken.
— Jennifer Hale (@JenHale504) February 8, 2015
With the All-Star break looming, I would be very surprised to see AD back on the court win either of the Pels next two games (Utah on Monday, Indiana on Wednesday).
Even with Davis on the floor, the Pelicans struggled to knock down shots from the perimeter. Shots from AD, Gordon and Anderson were just flat all night.
Gordon and Anderson were just plain awful from the floor. The two biggest perimeter threats for New Orleans combined to shoot an absolutely atrocious 2-21. No matter how well everyone else plays, those kind of performances are usually too much to overcome.
The Pels just did not have their legs tonight. The first made field goal outside of the paint for New Orleans was an Eric Gordon three pointer with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter. They finished the night with a 37.2 field goal percentage, a mark that should never be good enough to win a game.
Feb 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) and center Omer Asik (3) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago (31-20) was well rested after not playing since their loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. After a slow start in the first quarter, Chicago took off thanks to a handful of three pointers from reserve Tony Snell (19 points, 5-6 from three).
Snell’s makes proved to be contagious, as Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose (20 points each) seemingly made everything that they took in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
While the Bulls were extending their lead to almost 30 in the third quarter, Gasol nailed a corner three from the left side.
I will never forget Gasol nailing the same shot from the other side of the floor during game 3 the Lakers/Hornets first round playoff showdown in 2011.
For whatever reason, him making that shot just changed the way I was feeling about that series. Even though New Orleans tied the series at two the next game, they lost the two games after. His three tonight, although on a smaller stage, still had the same effect on New Orleans.
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With the game clearly out of reach going into the fourth quarter (81-56 at the start), guard Toney Douglas made his debut for the Pelicans.
After playing the first few months of the season overseas in China, New Orleans gave Douglas a 10 day contract. With Nate Wolters now gone, Douglas will look to provide some quality depth for the Pelicans’ bench.
Part of being an NBA player is having the ability to play games on back to back nights at a high level. The entire team gave every ounce of energy to win a big game on Friday night, and it is great that they pulled it out.
It is no excuse for such a repulsive game, but as long as good opportunities are being produced, expect the team to bounce back before the break.
The Pels won at OKC, and quite frankly that is enough to warrant this weekend as a success. A loss to a high quality team like the Bulls, who are well rested, while also not having your two best players (Davis and Holiday) should not be looked at too intently.
The Pelicans return to action on Monday against the Utah Jazz. Hopefully by then they will be rested, refueled and ready to go.