Latest stellar night by Anthony Davis fuels surging Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS — “Thank you Anthony.”

Those three words from New Orleans Pelicans’ guard Jrue Holiday pretty much summed up the feelings of the more than 14,000 fans in attendance, the rest of his teammates, and just about anyone who loves watching basketball played at its highest level.

The Pelicans extended their winning streak to six games, the team’s longest since 2011, with a 125-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Davis was magnificent, with a season-high 53 points, 18 rebounds and five blocked shots. He also converted a career-high 21 free throws, and fouled out three Suns players in the process.

“He’s just playing great basketball,” said New Orleans head coach Alvin Gentry. “I don’t know what else to say about it. I just think he’s dominating on both ends. He’s carrying the load, offensively…He’s just playing really good basketball.”

“I’m just trying to do my part,” said Davis in another understatement. “I just wanted to hang around the rim as much as possible, knowing I had the size advantage.”

The Pelicans needed every point and rebound to hold off a valiant effort by the Suns, who got 40 points from Devin Booker in a losing effort. New Orleans trailed by as many as 17 in the second quarter. It marked the sixth time this season that the Pelicans have come back from a deficit of at least 17 points.

While his latest performance may have been his greatest of the season, over the past month Davis leads the NBA in scoring (35.9 ppg), is third in rebounding (12.8 rpg), and fourth in blocks (2.4 bpg).

During the Pelicans’ win streak, “The Brow” has been even better; taking his game from superstar to supernova level; averaging 41.5 points, 15 boards, and 3.2 blocks, all while shooting 54 percent from the floor (39 pct. on 3PA). Those are numbers that seem to come from a different era, as Davis continues to rack up performances on par with the all-time greats of the game.

“It’s amazing,” Davis said of the comparisons to legends like Chamberlain, McAdoo, and Abdul-Jabbar, “but at the end of the day I just try to go out there and win. Of course being in a category with those guys…it’s an honor for me.”

If anything is certain, it’s the fact that Anthony Davis has planted himself firmly in the middle of the MVP discussion.

The win pushed the Pelicans to fifth in the ever-shifting Western Conference standings and team success has been the main thing that has kept Davis from claiming his place among the top-tier of superstars in the NBA. Davis isn’t worried about any personal accolades. He’s got a playoff race to focus on.

“[Continuing to move up is] what we’re thinking about,” Davis added. “That’s how we’re playing. We’re not worried about anything else; just take it one game at a time, just make our way up the ladder. That’s why we’re here.”

The Pelicans season could have ended when DeMarcus Cousins went down. They could have folded. But Davis has put the team on his slender shoulders and along with Jrue Holiday, who posted his 28th 20-point game of the season, they have not only kept the team afloat, the Pelicans are soaring.

Now with 22 games remaining, New Orleans is putting itself in position for a possible top-four seed, home court advantage, and one of the most exciting seasons in New Orleans basketball history.

And at the center of it all is the man this team was built around and for. History is unfolding in front of our eyes, don’t take it for granted. It doesn’t happen often.