New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis owned the Detroit Pistons in one of the most insane performances of the season Sunday afternoon.
Davis put up 59 points on 24-of-34 shooting while adding 20 boards in a 111-106 win over Detroit.
Here’s just one of a number of ridiculous shots from the big man in Sunday’s epic performance:
https://vine.co/v/irgKFF9VqdQ
What makes Davis’ performance so ridiculous is the fact that it came with a depleted supporting cast in a close game. The Pelicans other four starters combined for 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Overall, Davis scored 59 of the team’s 111 points while nabbing 20 of its 51 rebounds.
Outside of Davis’ 59-point performance, the Pelicans shot a combined 17-of-52 from the field.
The 59 points represents a new career high for the former No. 1 overall pick. It’s also the most points scored by a player in a single game since LeBron James scored 61 points for the Miami Heat in March of 2014.
Davis also joins the great Shaquille O’Neal on another rather short list of all-time single-game performances:
Anthony Davis is the second player since 1983 to record at least 59 points and 20 rebounds (S. O'Neal – 61 points and 23 rebounds 3/6/00).
— Pelicans PR (@PelicansPR) February 21, 2016
Now at 22-33 on the season, New Orleans is creeping its way up the Western Conference standings. By virtue of Sunday’s win, it is just 5.5 games out of the last playoff spot. Following a 1-11 start to the season, that’s an amazing accomplishment in and of itself.
And in reality, Davis is pretty much the only reason for this. That was evident Sunday with one of the best statistical performances we have seen in recent Association history.