The New Orleans Pelicans aren’t a team known for overcoming a lot of adversity.
That perception might have to change after Friday night’s 119-114 win over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tyreke Evans and Ryan Anderson combined for 61 points and Jrue Holiday added another 16 of his own as the Pelicans stood up to the red-hot Cavaliers at the Smoothie King Center, surmounting LeBron James' incredible 41 points and hanging on to win in front of a raucous sellout crowd.
Most surprisingly, and the real testament to this energized New Orleans squad, was they managed it without Anthony Davis. The third-year superstar left the game in the first quarter with a chest contusion and did not return. Davis took himself off the floor and sat on the bench visibly pained; head coach Monty Williams said Davis, who was also having trouble breathing, eventually took himself to the locker room and out of the game.
Williams says he's unsure of the extent or severity of Davis' injury, but will have a better idea on Saturday.
Jennifer Hale of Fox Sports reported Davis had chest X-rays that came back negative.
"Obviously our game is so much better with AD here," said Ryan Anderson (30 points / 8-of-13 from behind the three-point arc). "This is a game we knew we had to play hard without him."
And play hard they did. The two teams traded the lead 23 times in the first half, 18 times just in the first quarter, but the hot tempo and a deft defensive performance (at least, for the Pelicans) played New Orleans' way against a Cleveland team that had won eight of their previous nine games.
Even Austin Rivers, who has struggled this season, got into the act with 11 points, including a running jam two steps ahead of LeBron to close out the Pelicans' 64-point first half.
"You can't lay it up with LeBron; you cut it off early and jump early," Rivers said of the crowd-pleasing flying bucket. "We're looking to just get better. We've got plenty to prove, plenty to stay hungry for."
"I think everybody as a whole did their job tonight," said Anderson.
Including poor Luke Babbitt. Manhandled by LeBron James for much of the game, Babbitt sank a crucial three with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter to put the lid on a resurgent Cleveland.
"We didn't hit any stops defensively," lamented Cav's head coach David Blatt. "We did not control the ball. We did not close out at the three-point line. We did not have aggressiveness or physicality when we needed to."
"Keep it down!" screamed an assistant in the noisy hallway where post-game interviews are conducted.
"That's the best defensive play all night," Blatt said.
