Pelicans lose Davis, beat Thunder 131-122
NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Davis grimaced and didn’t move his left arm as he walked off the court at halftime.
Whether those were Davis’ final moments in a Pelicans uniform — or whether he even plays in this weekend’s All-Star Game — remains to be seen.
Julius Randle capped a 33-point, 11rebound performance with three clutch baskets in the final three minutes, Jrue Holiday scored 32 points and effectively defended Paul George, and New Orleans beat Oklahoma City 131-122 on Thursday night despite losing Davis to a shoulder injury.
Davis, who has asked to be traded, left the Smoothie King Center with his agent, Rich Paul, during the second half to get an MRI exam, the results of which were expected by Friday.
But it’s only a matter of time before the Pelicans have to learn to play without Davis for good anyway, and they managed rather well following the sixtime All-Star’s departure against recordsetting guard Russell Westbrook and the Thunder.
“To tell you the truth, this whole thing has been a dumpster fire,” coach Alvin Gentry said, alluding to the effect Davis’ trade demand has had on the rest of the team. “It’s hard for guys to go through what they’ve been through, and to be able to come out and beat a team of that quality, I’m happy for all the guys.”
But Gentry lost his patience when asked to elaborate on Davis leaving the arena during the game.
“I’m going to talk about the guys that played. They did a great job,” Gentry said. “We found a way to win the game. That’s what’s important.”
Gentry then stormed off, ending his postgame interview session in uncharacteristically abrupt fashion.
Westbrook increased his record triple-double streak to 11 games with 44 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. But he missed a late 3-point attempt when the Thunder trailed by five just inside the final minute of the game. New Orleans rebounded and held on from there.
“They played good, man,” Westbrook said of the Pelicans, who snapped the Thunder’s four-game winning streak. “Honestly, the stuff that’s going on around here, I don’t really know much about, but they won tonight and that’s all the matters.”
Paul George scored 28 points for Oklahoma City, but made only 3 of 17 3-point attempts.
“A couple of them was in and out where it felt really good. A couple of them I wish I could have back,” said George, who also gave Holiday credit for his defensive effort. “He’s scrappy and he takes pride in defense. Not a lot of guys do. I have the utmost respect for his approach and how he defends and wants to play defense.”
Davis was in the game when the first half ended, but kept his left arm still as he