New Orleans Pelicans lose Anthony Davis to injury but rally to beat Oklahoma City Thunder
Written by News on 15/02/2019
Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle combined to score 65 points and help the host New Orleans Pelicans overcome the loss of All-Star forward Anthony Davis in a 131-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder 122-131 New Orleans Pelicans
Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle combined to score 65 points and help the host New Orleans Pelicans overcome the loss of All-Star forward Anthony Davis in a 131-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
Randle had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and Holiday added 32 points. Davis missed the second half due to a shoulder injury he sustained late in the first half, finishing with 14 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.
It wasn’t immediately known whether the injury would keep Davis out of the All-Star Game on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
E’Twaun Moore scored 15 points and Jahlil Okafor had 12 as New Orleans bounced back from having their lowest point totals of the season in their two most recent – a 99-90 loss at Memphis on Saturday and a 118-88 home loss to Orlando on Tuesday.
Russell Westbrook extended his NBA record by producing an 11th consecutive triple-double, finishing with 44 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Thunder, who had won four straight and 11 of 12. Paul George added 28 points and Nerlens Noel had 22.
The Pelicans led by three at half-time when Davis was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Five New Orleans players scored during a 17-5 third-quarter run that gave New Orleans a 91-74 cushion. Westbrook had nine points and two assists as Oklahoma City cut the deficit to 101-89 at the end of the third quarter.
The Pelicans twice led by 13 while Westbrook was resting early in the fourth quarter, but shortly after he returned, he had two baskets and two assists to help the Thunder get within 117-113 with five minutes remaining.
Oklahoma City pulled within three points three times, but each time Randle answered with a basket.
New York Knicks 106-91 Atlanta Hawks
The New York Knicks got 19 points from Dennis Smith Jr and put an emphatic end to their 18-game losing streak with a 106-91 road win over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Knicks had not tasted victory since January 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers. During the streak, they had dropped six games on the road and 12 at home. The 18-game skid was a franchise record for a single season.
New York got off to a 14-0 lead, allowed Atlanta to tie the score twice before the half-time but never lost the lead all night. It was the third time the Knicks defeated Atlanta in four tries this season.
Smith, acquired on February 1 in the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, shot 7-of-10 from the field and added seven assists. The second-year guard is averaging 17 points since joining the club.
The Knicks also got 14 points from ex-Hawk John Jenkins, who was only playing his second game with the club, plus 14 points and nine rebounds from Kadeem Allen. Damyean Dotson scored 13, and DeAndre Jordan had a game-high 13 rebounds to go with 10 points.
Dewayne Dedmon led the Hawks with 21 points while Trae Young and Kent Bazemore each scored 16. Young added 11 assists.
Charlotte Hornets 89-127 Orlando Magic
Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and 11 rebounds for his 41st double-double of the season as the red-hot Orlando Magic earned their fifth straight victory by defeating the visiting Charlotte Hornets 127-89.
The Magic snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Hornets that dated to the 2015-16 season. They were in control throughout, racing to a 15-point lead after one quarter and leading by 35 at half-time. Their biggest lead in the second half was 40.
Terrence Ross led the Magic with 21 points. Jonathan Isaac scored 16, Evan Fournier 12, Wes Iwundu 11 and Aaron Gordon 10.
Malik Monk led the Hornets with 15 points. Jeremy Lamb scored 14, Cody Zeller 13 and Kemba Walker 10.
Walker had a streak of five straight games with at least 30 points snapped. He suffered through 4-of-20 shooting from the field and missed all seven of his three-point attempts.
Both teams will now get an eight-day break for the All-Star Game.
Walker will represent the Hornets in the All-Star Game and in the Three-Point Contest and team-mate Miles Bridges will participate in the Slam Dunk Contest. Vucevic will represent the Magic in the All-Star Game.
(c) Sky News 2019: New Orleans Pelicans lose Anthony Davis to injury but rally to beat Oklahoma City Thunder
