Davis, Reserves Lead Pelicans To 123-119 Victory Over Thunder, Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

Needing as many wins as possible to keep their playoff hopes alive, New Orleans got perhaps their best victory yet behind the red-hot play of franchise cornerstone Anthony Davis and their reserves despite a shorthanded roster.

Just two weeks after getting blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pelicans avenged their loss and came right out of the gate by getting Davis involved as much as possible.  The 6′ 10″ power forward had 16 first quarter points on 6-12 shooting.  The number one overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft also showed why he is one of the most feared defenders in the league by recording 4 blocks in the fourth quarter, including two on layup attempts by Russell Westbrook in the final 3 minutes.  The second attempt would’ve cut the Pelicans’ lead to just three with 83 seconds remaining.

Despite stellar play from their two stars and shooting 54.7%, Oklahoma City was once again done in by their defense that seems to keep both the public and media from anointing them as legitimate championship contenders.  Westbrook put up 44 points and nine assists, while Kevin Durant added 32 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists, but it wasn’t enough. Whenever the Thunder seemed to be on the cusp of a run to snatch the lead, the Pelicans always answered back.

“They did whatever they wanted and we didn’t show any resistance,” Durant said. “They got confidence…. We didn’t help (defensively) as much as we should have and that caused us to be in scramble mode.”

After Davis’ first block on Westbrook with 3:28 left, Ryan Anderson turned that into a 3 pointer just five seconds later to give New Orleans a 117-105 lead. The relentless Westbrook responded by scoring OKC’s next nine points to narrow the deficit to 114-119.

Three Pelicans’ reserves, the stretch forward Anderson and point guards Jrue Holiday and Toney Douglas combined for 60 points, almost equaling the 63 scored by the starters.  Anderson had 14 of his 26 points in the seconds quarter, while Holiday put up 22 points and nine assists.  New Orleans also got a strong performance from Norris Cole in the absence of Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans, Cole had 21 points and eight assists.

Davis landed awkwardly after his first block on Westbrook and remained on the ground behind the play when Anderson hit the three, but remained in the game.

“I wasn’t coming out. I can tell you that,” said Davis, who stayed in the game after a timeout, adding a pair of clutch free throws and a key rebound in the final minute. “It feels good now.”

The Pelicans (23-34) will look to keep their momentum going when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves (18-40) Saturday night at 7.  The Thunder dropped their third game out of four since the All-Star break.  The Thunder (41-17) will need to make their defensive adjustments rather quickly as they host the Golden State Warriors (52-5), who are now favored to break the NBA record for wins in a season (72) set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.