Anthony Davis NBA Record: Pistons, Andre Drummond Fall To Pelicans’ Big Man’s Big Night
It was bound to happen: Anthony Davis finally made his mark in the game of basketball. The big man for the New Orleans Pelicans had a big night — and that’s putting things lightly. According to a breaking news report from Yahoo News, Davis had an NBA record-setting night in the team’s victory over the Detroit Pistons. Without a doubt, the Pelicans standout got the best of Andre Drummond Sunday night
As the night wore on, something special happened in the New Orleans-Detroit basketball matchup in the Palace of Auburn Hills Arena. Anthony Davis logged a season high of 59 points and nearly two dozen boards. Sources say Davis’ awe-inspiring night placed him in the pantheon of other namesakes: Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Webber, to name a few. In fact, both of the retired players are the only two that that have put up 50 points and 20 rebounds in one game since the 1983-84 season.
If you missed Davis’ big night, let’s just say it was dizzying to watch. It was like he was in another world, and everything he put up went in. Additionally, he ruled the paint like a true big man. His otherworldly play brought back memories of Shaq’s LSU and Orlando Magic Days. Anthony even channeled the Hall of Fame play of the venerable Patrick Ewing. Yea, he was just that good and playing out of his mind for sure.
CBS Sports : Pelicans’ Anthony Davis scores 59 points, grabs 20 rebounds in win. https://t.co/EI6ivEiBNe
— Jeff S Hamilton (@Jhamsandwhich79) February 22, 2016
Davis made 24 of his 34 shots attempted, which marks a season high. And it didn’t matter who guarded him; whether it was a zone or man-to-man coverage, Davis prevailed. Detroit went to their first weapon of choice — Andre Drummond — to ward off Anthony Davis’ beast mode night, to no avail.
Next, they doubled him with Anthony Tolliver, Marcus Morris, and even Aron Baynes, a Pistons reserve center. Yep, you guessed it; nothing panned out in the end; Davis was just on another level. For example, he and Jrue Holiday, who plays at point, combined for 29 of the team’s 31 fourth quarter points.
Anthony Davis joins Shaq and C-Webb as only players with 50+ Pt, 20+ Reb games since 1983-84. pic.twitter.com/iI9JAhYvpM
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 21, 2016
Now, on to the not-so-good news; there’s always another side to any story, right. Despite the amazing numbers Davis put up in the Big D’s house, the Pelicans have some work to do to get to the postseason. After Sunday’s win, New Orleans is 22-33, which places them last in the NBA’s southwest division, just behind the Houston Rockets.
The Pelicans’ win over the Pistons was a night for stats, but it places them 5.5 games out out of contention for the last playoff spot in the Western Division. If it’s any consolation, they have 27 more attempts before their lackluster season comes to an end. That said, they have to fire on all cylinders.
New Orleans has endured a number of near-misses before the trade deadline, and it seems Anthony Davis has dropped out of the MVP conversation. Early this season, his name was floated around the league, based on his sick offseason workout. But with the Warriors’ Steph Curry, the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player, playing out of his mind — again — this season, Davis can only hope his team punches a ticket to the playoffs.
Here’s another fun fact about Davis: As you may remember, he’s only 22-years-old. That means on Sunday he became the youngest player in NBA history (22 years, 347 days) since 1963 to put up 59 points. He shares the stage with Michael Jordan, Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, and others.
Big ups to AD!
[AP Photo/Carlos Osorio]
