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January 31, 2019

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Davis drama as Pelicans top Rockets

The New Orleans Pelicans shrugged off multiple injuries and uncertainty surrounding star Anthony Davis on Tuesday, rallying for a 121-116 victory over the Houston Rockets.

One day after Davis requested a trade, and with five of the team’s top six scorers — forward Anthony included — absent because of injury, the Pelicans withstood a 37-point performance from Rockets star James Harden to triumph in Houston.

Jahlil Okafor scored 27 points for New Orleans. Jrue Holiday added 19 and Ian Clark chipped in 15 off the bench for a New Orleans team that used its 20th different starting lineup of the season thanks to injuries to Davis, Nikola Mirotic, Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton.

New Orleans took the lead for the first time in the game with 2:06 left in the third quarter on Kenrich Williams’ basket — and it never trailed again.

Holiday played a key role with six blocked shots, helping slow scoring juggernaut Harden just enough to get the job done.

Harden notched his 24th straight game of at least 30 points, but his 17 points in the fourth quarter weren’t enough to turn the tide.

Davis, sidelined by a finger injury, watched from the bench hours after he was fined US$50,000 by the National Basketball Association because his agent’s public revelation of his desire to be traded violated league rules.

“That’s going to play out the way it plays out,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said before the game. “I think everything that needed to be said has been said.”

Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN on Monday that his client “wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship”, adding that Davis “wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions” to give the team time to plan for his departure. The team later acknowledged Davis had requested a trade over the weekend.

In a statement announcing the fine on Tuesday, the NBA called Paul’s comments to ESPN “an intentional effort to undermine the contractual relationship between Davis and the Pelicans.”

The team’s statement on Monday included a request to the league “to strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction.”

Davis, 26, is making a salary of US$25.4 million this season. He was fined US$25,000 in December 2017 for verbally abusing a game official, but has not otherwise been fined since entering the NBA.

ESPN reported that the Lakers — whose star, LeBron James, is also represented by Paul — are expected to make a heavy push to acquire Davis before the February 7 trade deadline, but the Pelicans are in no rush to deal Davis as they wait for an enticing package in return.

Davis cannot become a free agent until the summer of 2020.

Elsewhere in the NBA on Tuesday, it was: Bucks 115, Pistons 105; Nets 122, Bulls 117; Spurs 126, Suns 124; Thunder 126, Magic 117; 76ers 121, Lakers 105; and Cavaliers 116, Wizards 113.




 

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