Entering the season as a leading MVP candidate, Anthony Davis had been relatively quiet through the season’s first 29 games before Wednesday’s matchup with the Thunder. His numbers have largely been the same. Davis entered averaging 27.4 points per game and a career-high 12.2 boards, providing his typical blend of stretch and above-the-rim destruction. But as the Pelicans sat 10th in the West at 14–15, Davis’ performance largely went unnoticed among a season of Giannis dominance, Warriors drama and LeBron relocation. Davis has been an afterthought.
That should begin to change after the Kentucky product’s 44-point, 18-rebound effort in a 118-114 win over the streaking Thunder.