It's not every day two of the NBA's best young players are matched up head-to-head, which is what made the matchup between the Kings and Pelicans on Tuesday so much fun. There was Anthony Davis, 21, going for 28 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and flying all over the court during the Pelicans' 106-100 road win. Davis was everywhere, meshing calm and frantic in a way few ever have.
NBA Scores: Anthony Davis, Pelicans hold on for win over DeMarcus Cousins’ Kings
The Brow took Round 1 over Boogie, plus other thoughts on the NBA action on Tuesday.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Then there was DeMarcus Cousins, 24, dominating the paint and putting the suddenly competitive Kings on his back, like he has all year. Boogie scored 24 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. According to NBA.com, nine of his 10 made field goals were contested. One came on a play where he grabbed a defensive rebound, dribbled the ball downcourt, drove to the basket, absorbed the contact and hit the shot. Cousins made his presence felt in a way that only a handful of other players can. Whether it was by bullying a Pelican in the post (check out his shot chart below) or chasing down poor Jrue Holiday from behind on a break.
Going into the game, there was a lot of talk about how this was a matchup between two of the league's future stars. Before tipoff on NBA TV, Chris Webber said he was excited to watch two players who, in five years, he believes will own the league. There's a good chance he's right. The thing is, though, tabbing Cousins and Davis as future stars is a mistake. Stars, with all its implications of marketability and personality, isn't a good word, either. Sure, Cousins and Davis could be be on their way to being stars. But that's a conversation for a different time. The conversation worth having now is about just how awesome the two of them currently are.
Today, right now, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are two of the best players in NBA. Period. Basketball monsters who look like they can’t be stopped. Both, you could argue, are already in the league’s top five. It certainly seemed like it as Cousins and Davis did all they possibly could to drag their respective, and extremely flawed teams to victory. Cousins’ team has no point guard. Davis’ has a backcourt featuring a bunch of gunners.
Yet both teams could make the playoffs, even in a stacked Western Conference. At the least, the Kings and Pelicans should compete for a postseason spot because of Boogie and The Brow, two potential MVP candidates who could make a November matchup between the once dreary Kings and Pelicans exciting to watch.
Three other things we learned
Nick Young is a difference maker for the Lakers. Swaggy P made his season debut, after missing the Lakers' first 10 games due to a torn ligament in his right thumb. It was a solid debut as he finished 6-of-10 from the field for 17 points. More importantly, he helped lead the Lakers to a 114-109 win. On the road no less, in Atlanta against the Hawks. The Lakers are now 2-9 on the season, but 1-0 with Young in the lineup. In Swaggy P's mind, is this a coincidence? Of course not.
Nick Young says "it's like my swag rubbed off on everybody."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) November 19, 2014 Obviously, Young’s return won’t make much of a difference for the Lakers. But, at the least, he’ll make this hapless team a bit more fun to watch. He also gives them another player who can actually create his own shot, which can only help things.
The season might get even worse for the Knicks. After their 117-113 loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee, the Knicks now stand at 3-9. They have the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league (109.3 points surrendered per 100 possessions). They are running a version of the triangle that allows guys like Quincy Acy and Samuel Dalembert to jack up mid range jump shots. And now there's this:
Melo says he left knee has been sore since the Cleveland game. Yikes.
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) November 19, 2014 Carmelo says he's had tests on the knee. Tape came off of it tonight, and he could feel it while he was trying to play thru the issue
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) November 19, 2014 The Knicks are already giving major minutes to the likes of Shane Larkin, Acy and Jason Smith. Rookie Travis Wear is starting to get time, too. Suffice it to say, this roster is not stacked. If Carmelo is forced to miss any time things could go south very fast. Of course, since they actually do have their own first-round pick this year, being bad might actually be a good thing for the Knicks
The Bucks might be solid. With its win against the Knicks, Milwaukee now stands at 6-5 with wins against the Grizzlies and Heat. Jason Kidd has his team defending at an elite level (the Bucks are fifth in the league in defensive rating) and there is some talent on the roster. We all know about Giannis Antetokounmpo's raw skills, but Brandon Knight is also playing the best basketball of his career. Jabari Parker is shooting only 44 percent and averaging just 10 points per game. If he finds his groove at some point, it's possible that Milwaukee makes a run at the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Play of the Night
Did anyone know the 6'2 Jeff Teague could jump like this? Almost makes you forget the Hawks lost at home to the Lakers.
#TEAGUE pic.twitter.com/YzF4hhRWOS
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) November 19, 2014 Five fun things
Scary Quin Snyder alert! That haircut is just not a good match with those eyes. Dude looks like he could be a zombie on The Walking Dead. You'd think he'd look a little happier during a 98-81 win against the Thunder.
Kevin Durant may be the only person in the world who enjoys watching Kendrick Perkins post up. This also might explain why Scott Brooks stuck with Perkins for so long.
Do the Hawks have the best Twitter account in the NBA? This is what they sent out after their 114-109 home loss to the Lakers:
Oy.
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 19, 2014 Aside from Carmelo Anthony, the one Knick who seems to be figuring out this whole triangle thing is Iman Shumpert. Shump was 9-of-14 for 21 points, dished out eight assists, pulled down eight rebounds and dropped this sick dunk on the Greek Freak. The hair makes it more impressive.
Rudy Gay tried dunking on Anthony Davis. He must not have gotten the memo.
Final scores
Lakers 114, Hawks 109 (Silver Screen and Roll recap | Peachtree Hoops recap)
Bucks 117, Knicks 113 (Brew Hoop recap | Posting and Toasting recap)
Jazz 98, Thunder 81 (SLC Dunk recap | Welcome to Loud City recap)
Pelicans 106, Kings 100 (Sactown Royalty recap | The Bird Writes recap)
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