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 Unfortunately for coach Gregg Popovich, what he saw was no
hallucination after San Antonio's sixth loss in seven games.
The latest loss featured 17 turnovers, one offensive rebound and a
heaping helping of Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, who punctuated
his third-season joyride through the NBA with monster night that
again left scorch marks on the stats sheet.
Davis had 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, including
three in four San Antonio possessions in a critical 90-second
stretch of the third quarter.
"He's a wonderful player," Popovich said of Davis, who made three
consecutive mid-range jumpers and then blocked the shots of guard
Manu Ginobili, forward Boris Diaw and forward Tim Duncan in a
10-point, four-block quarter that extended the Pelicans' lead to
70-64. "He's an MVP candidate. He's blossomed. We challenged him
four times in a row, unwisely, and he drilled it into the seats four
times in a row. Not our smartest moves, I would say."
Davis' defensive prowess, a function of athleticism and timing, gave
Coach Monty Williams the kind of thrill he values because of the
effort and energy it showcased. Williams said he had thrown down the
challenge to his players during a third-quarter timeout.
"We had just talked in the timeout, and we were a bit slow,
sluggish, lethargic," Williams said. "I just told the guys on the
floor, 'Don't wait for somebody to do it. One of you guys go do it.
Just play with great energy.' And after that, he started blocking
shots, rebounding, running the floor. But that's who he is. Most of
his points come from hard work."
Davis usually shows little emotion on the court, but he scarcely
contained himself after gobbling up a layup attempt by Duncan and
forcing a jump ball. He turned his head to the sellout crowd, pumped
his fist and let go with a ferocious scream.
"Coach told us, 'We need someone to go out on the floor and just
bring their energy. Don't wait for nobody else to do it. You just go
out and do it yourself,'" Davis said. "It just happened I was trying
to make a stand on defense. All that happened, and we had a nice
little crowd. I just wanted to get them into it and started getting
everybody into it, and we had that spark."
Forward Ryan Anderson came off the bench to match Davis with 22
points. Anderson's 20-footer from the right wing gave New Orleans an
81-72, and the Pelicans built a 12-point lead with 5:26 left.
Anderson said the entire team was fueled by Davis' defense.
"The crowd was energized, we get energized," Anderson said. "When
you see that kind of effort from a player especially your best
player, it rubs off. You want to give that same heart and that same
effort. That was an incredible stretch right there. You don't see
that very often."
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Even with Davis on the bench at the start of the fourth quarter,
the Pelicans forced the Spurs into six empty possessions --
including three turnovers -- in a 9-2 spurt to take an 83-72 lead
with 6:45 left. The Pelicans also got 15 points and seven assists
from point guard Jrue Holiday, 12 points from reserve guard Austin
Rivers and 11 from guard Tyreke Evans.
The Spurs (18-13) were led by 20 points each by Duncan and point
guard Cory Joseph, but they hurt their cause with 17 turnovers. They
missed starting point guard Tony Parker, who sat out with a sore
left hamstring.
"It's not an excuse, but because we have been missing some key
players, we have to overuse others," Ginobili said. "It's not easy
playing teams that are younger and more athletic than us. Nobody
said it would be easy. When you add all of that together, you get
this situation."
This was the first time in franchise history that the Pelicans have
won consecutive games against the Spurs. New Orleans defeated San
Antonio 100-99 on the road on Nov. 9.
NOTES: San Antonio rested PG Tony Parker (strained left hamstring),
F Kawhi Leonard (bruised right hand) and PG Patty Mills (right
shoulder). "Every time (Parker) thinks it's back, he feels
something," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I'm just going to sit
him and give it time." ... Pelicans coach Monty Williams said F
Anthony Davis has to learn to expect tough defensive treatment. "I
thought the last game (a 96-84 loss to the Indiana Pacers) it kind
of got to him a little bit because he couldn't get a shot off
without people hitting below his waist," Williams said. "But that's
something all the good players go through. You learn how to play
through it." ... Williams believes the paint-oriented Pelicans will
draw more fouls if they win more games. "I do think our guys at
times should get to the line more with the physical play that they
deal with when they go to the basket," Williams said. "The more you
win, somehow it translates into all that other stuff."
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