|
 That said, Davis is raising the bar awfully high already.
"I don't think anybody expected Anthony to be at this level yet,"
Williams said after Davis scored 28 points and led the Pelicans to a
106-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena on
Tuesday night. "But he has great drive, and he works his tail off.
When you get that, guys can make a huge leap."
Davis entered the night ranked among the NBA's top five in scoring,
rebounding and blocks, then proceeded into territory uncharted
against Sacramento this season. No opponent scored 25 points in
Sacramento's first 10 games, tying a franchise record, according to
the Elias Sports Bureau.
"He's efficient and plays with great effort," Williams said. "He
went 41 minutes on the second of back-to-back against one of the
best in the league. That says a lot about his mental toughness."
 Forward Ryan Anderson added 22 points and made four 3-pointers in
his return to his hometown, and forward/guard Tyreke Evans, a former
King, scored all 18 of his points in the second half.
"This environment is fun to play in, and I have so many great
memories of watching games in the stands here," Anderson said. "But
most of all, it's a great win."
The Pelicans (6-4) won despite playing without forward Omer Asik
(lower back stiffness) for the second straight night.
New Orleans blew a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 102-93 loss at
Portland on Monday, the appeared poised to do the same after
building an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter against Sacramento.
However, Evans produced his biggest points after the Kings went on a
10-2 run that reduced the Pelicans' 98-87 lead to 100-97 with 1:09
left. Evans drove the lane, and amid a crowd of giants underneath,
spun and converted a twisting layup.
Davis made one of two free throws after a Kings miss to help the
Pelicans beat the Kings for the first time in the teams' past four
meetings.
"He got aggressive and made plays for his teammates," Kings center
DeMarcus Cousins said of Davis. "He broke us down on defense. ...
We're built on that, and when it breaks down, it's kind of chaos out
there on both sides for us."
Cousins led Sacramento (6-5) with 24 points and 17 rebounds, but the
Kings lost for the fourth time in five games. Sacramento was seeking
its first four-game home winning streak since December 2012.
[to top of second column] |
Forward Rudy Gay scored 15 points in his first game since reaching
agreement with the Kings on a three-year, $40 million contract. The
Kings will announce the deal formally at a press conference
Wednesday.
Sacramento forward Jason Thompson scored a season-high 15 points and
added nine rebounds. Guard Darren Collison had 13 points and 11
assists but sat for much of the fourth quarter after the Kings
committed five turnovers without an assist while shooting 6-for-21
and getting blitzed 31-15 in the third quarter.
"I didn't think that Darren had played very well in that third
quarter," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "I wanted somebody who
could run our team, and ... I felt (Ray McCallum's) defensive
ability would help us contain some of their guards."
New Orleans wound up shooting 12-for-22 from the field, including
5-for-10 on 3-point attempts, in the decisive third quarter.
NOTES: Kings F Jason Thompson played despite tendinitis in his left
thigh muscle. Thompson, an unsung hero in Sacramento's early-season
success, held San Antonio F Tim Duncan, Los Angeles Clippers F Blake
Griffin and Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge to 13-for-38 shooting (34.2
percent) in his matchups with them. All three were Kings victories.
... Pelicans G Jimmer Fredette didn't get off the bench in his first
appearance in Sacramento since being waived by the Kings in
February. Fredette, a fan favorite at Sleep Train Arena, played 171
games in three seasons with Sacramento, averaging 5.6 points per
game. He signed a one-year contract with New Orleans before the
season. ... The Kings were still awaiting a ruling on their protest
regarding their 111-110 loss at Memphis on Nov. 13. The Kings claim
Courtney Lee's game-winning layup should not have counted. ... New
Orleans turned over the ball a season-low six times.
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