Anthony Davis led his Pelicans back to the NBA Playoffs with a 113-100 win over the Clippers Monday night — and he did it with authority. Six of the All-NBA big man’s 28 points came via rim-bending alley oop dunks that crushed Los Angeles and pushed New Orleans to the postseason for the first time since 2015.
Anthony Davis crushed the Clippers with alley-oops to push the Pelicans to the playoffs
So who’s gonna stop the ‘Brow in the postseason?
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Davis’ first big dunk came late in the first quarter when Ian Clark found him streaking through the paint for a quick flush that gave the Pelicans an early 12-point lead. The second was an and-1 tip-in that essentially punished the Clippers for trying and pushed the away team’s advantage to 22.
The most vicious of the dunks came last. Rajon Rondo went off the backboard to give Davis all the space he needed to violently finish off a Pelicans’ fast break. Los Angeles rookie point guard Tyrone Wallace was wise enough to play spectator instead of defense.
The veteran point guard was deferential about the role he played in the murder of the Staples Center’s rims.
“The pass wasn’t the best, but when you have Anthony Davis, a lot of the passes don’t have to be great,” Rondo told the press after the game. “He made it look easy. (We were) just having fun.”
Monday’s performance wasn’t the only time Rondo and Davis have teamed up to score easy buckets at the rim in the past week. The duo kept the Warriors on their toes with a long-range bomb back on Saturday.
Davis finished the game with 28 points, six rebounds, and five blocks. It wasn’t all good for him, however. He did wind up the victim of a vicious game of keepaway thanks to 7’3 Clippers center (and friendly giant) Boban Marjanovic.
The win pushed New Orleans into a three-way tie for fifth place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans are knotted with the Spurs and Thunder with identical 47-34 records with just one game left in the regular season, and all three are just a half-game behind 47-33 Utah. With a few more dunks and a little outside help, Davis could push his team to home-court advantage in the first round of the 2018 postseason.
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