Anthony Davis ties career-high 43 points, but Hawks’ balance wins out
The New Orleans Pelicans entered this season tabbed by many to jump up the West standings, but early injuries, two games against the Golden State Warriors, and just plain-old bad performances helped them to a disappointing 0-4 start. Friday’s home game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Smoothie King Center offered another chance at a solid win, if not a likely one.
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No matter the result, the Pelicans saw one positive development on Friday with a return to elite form for Anthony Davis. The All-NBA First Team selection bounced back from a relatively disappointing start — averages of 20.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game — to explode for 43 points (14-of-23 FG, 14-of-16 FT), 10 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks on a night that should get his “future best player in the league” campaign back on track.
Unfortunately for New Orleans, it wasn’t enough for their first win of the season. The visiting Hawks won 121-115 due to impressive balance as the team shot 53.2 percent from the field with seven players scoring at least nine points. All-Star Kyle Korver led the way by hitting all eight of his field-goal attempts (including four three-pointers) for 22 points.
Davis was not alone in playing well — Eric Gordon had 22 on 15 shots — but the circumstances of the loss will not please a team that had planned to improve its defense and scoring balance under new head coach Alvin Gentry. Instead, the Pelicans have looked similar to how they did in 2014-15 — overly dependent on the brilliance of Davis on offense and prone to lapses defensively.
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Meanwhile, the Hawks continue to suppress doubts that last season’s 60-win regular season was on outright fluke. While they may not match that win total and have not had the toughest schedule imaginable early, they have generally taken care of business and picked up several wins that should look pretty good as the standings take shape.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
