DENVER — The NBA regular season is a marathon, not a sprint. An ugly fact about the league is that many players — and especially stars — conserve energy to make it through 82 games. For example: When an opponent has a free lane to the basket and a huge head start, a player will more often than not let his opponent score an easy two unencumbered.
Derrick Favors playing prominent role in Pelicans’ improved defense, rebounding
He is his team’s ninth-leading scorer, averaging 8.0 points per game, yet to hear New Orleans Pelicans players talk about Derrick Favors is to understand that the center’s contributions go far beyond the box score.