Davis’ big game in return lifts Pelicans over Spurs, 104-90

New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry says forward Anthony Davis and center Omer Asik are both ready to return to the lineup Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs.

The play was part of a 20-point, 18-rebound game for Davis, who returned after a almost two-game absence with a shoulder injury, and it was emblematic of the night for the Pelicans (2-11), who played with the effort they’d displayed in a loss at Oklahoma City on Wednesday, but with the firepower to finish it off.

The Hornets improved to 7-6, and are now 5-1 at home after winning their last five home contests.

Tim Duncan finished with 10 points and did not record a rebound for the first time in his 19-year career. “That’s what we need from Ryan”. It’ll be curious to watch whether he gets phased out of the rotation or if Gentry rotates the group at small forward based on matchups.

With Anderson getting hot early and Smith darting around the floor, it seemed to inspire the rest of the team to build a lead during the second quarter that they would never relinquish. It was the Pelicans’ fourth victory in five games against the Spurs that dates back to last season when they won three of the four games.

Ryan Anderson hit six 3-pointers and scored 30 points for the second straight game. The Spurs had been holding opponents to 91.3 points per game. For a player as talented as Davis, that’s unacceptable; he needs to avoid settling for perimeter shots, especially when they’re not falling. “If you look down the line, guys got a lot of shot attempts, a lot of open looks”.

“It’s our best game, by far. That’s because of our guards’ aggression and our ability to penetrate the defense”.

In the midst of that fourth-quarter surge, Davis blocked Lamar Aldridge’s 15-foot jumper, chased down the ball and hurled it into Aldridge’s legs while falling into the front-row seats. “We did a great job defensively as a team”. We made good decisions.

Most importantly, the defensive aggression was not that of a salivating carnivore, and it was anchored to smart play. He played 12 minutes, grabbing seven rebounds and scoring one point. We have good momentum right now. “I went to take a step backward, and then I stepped on Alonzo Gee’s foot, and it went out to the side”, Aldridge said. New Orleans only had nine players in uniform, yet fought tooth-and-nail against the Thunder and had a chance to win late, despite Russell Westbrook’s monster 43-point, nine-rebound, eight-assist performance. I thought we played at a pace that we like to play at.