The New Orleans Pelicans needed every ounce of DeMarcus Cousins to get past the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, and their All-Star big man delivered by turning in a stat line of historic proportions.
DeMarcus Cousins has historic 40-20-10 night
He’s the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to post that stat line.
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
“Boogie” played 52 minutes and lit up the Bulls for 44 points (13-of-29 shooting), 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and four steals to lead New Orleans to a 132-128 double overtime win over Chicago. Eleven of his points came after Anthony Davis fouled out midway through the first overtime.
Few players in NBA history have ever had the night Cousins had on Monday. His 40-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game was just the 10th such stat line in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The last player to have that stat line was Wilt Chamberlain, and the only other players in league history with that box score are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and Elgin Baylor.
Boogie’s 40-point, 20-rebound night was only the eighth such game since 2003, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune’s Will Guillory. Cousins and Davis posted six of those eight.
The Pelicans’ victory (and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Monday loss to Denver) moved New Orleans into sixth place in the West just one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. And if Cousins continues to turn in nights even remotely close to how he played down the stretch for New Orleans, the Pelicans could be a tough opponent to deal with in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are twin towers for a modern NBA
See More:
