5 Highest scoring games of Anthony Davis' career
Anthony Davis is one of the most explosive and dominant players in the NBA today. He was selected as the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2012 NBA draft and has been the face of the Pelicans since then. In a very short period of time, he has become one of the best in the league and is a 5-time consecutive NBA All-Star.
Davis is known for his ability to impact the game on both the ends of the floor and is a constant double-double threat. His numbers have significantly improved in the past few years and he is definitely a serious candidate for MVP this 2018-19 season.
After losing DeMarcus Cousins to Golden State Warriors in free agency, the Pelicans front-office has done a great job by adding some really good players like Julius Randle, Jahlil Okafor, Elfrid Payton who can really help Davis and the team.
The New Orleans Pelicans are definitely a team to watch out for this season and this might well be the season when Davis finally gets his hands on the most prestigious hardware, the MVP trophy. Through the course of this article, we take a look at Anthony Davis' five highest-scoring games in the NBA.
5. 47 vs Portland Trail Blazers, 21st April 2018
Stat line: 47 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks on 65.2% shooting
The Pelicans who were not fortunate to make it to the playoffs for two straight seasons were back in the playoffs once again. They finished 6th in the Western Conference in the regular season and were up against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the Playoffs. Davis averaged a career-high 28.1 points and 11.1 rebounds in the regular season and was also named as a finalist for MVP and DPOY awards.
The Trail Blazers lost the first three games of the series and were facing elimination. Davis continued his regular season form and dominated the Blazers in the first three games. In the fourth game, Davis came up big once again dropping 47 points at home.
Davis destroyed the Blazers defense and scored effortlessly. He was a problem for the visitors in the paint and kept attacking the rim. He shot 15-23 from the field with an eye-catching field-goal percentage of 65.2. Anthony was also successful in drawing a lot of fouls as he went for 15-17 from the free-throw line.
In the second quarter, the crowd erupted when Rondo threw an alley-oop to Davis who slammed it home. In the third quarter, with scores tied at 60, Davis leaned in for a basket to give Pelicans the lead and they never looked back. New Orleans went on to win the game 131-123 and swept the Blazers 4-0.
4. 48 at New York Knicks, 14th January 2018
Stat line: 48 points, 17 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks on 56.7% shooting
The Pelicans were high on confidence after beating a really good Trail Blazers team and started their 3-game road trip with a game against the Knicks at the MSG. The Knicks were 19-24 with a losing record and were on a two-game losing streak.
The two teams produced an overtime thriller and Davis totaled 48 points to take the Pelicans home. He entertained the MSG crowd with some really explosive dunks and the duo of Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis combined for 79 points on a really good 29-49 shooting.
Davis went for 17-30 from the field with a field-goal percentage of 56.7. He messed around and got a double-double and could not be stopped as he went for 12-15 from the charity stripe. He was very aggressive and bulldozed his way on a lot of occasions.
In the fourth quarter, the Pelicans were down by 10 with under 9 minutes to go but 'The Brow' willed them back into the game. He had a game-saving play on the defensive end down with Pelicans down by two and then got a tough basket on the offensive end to send the game to overtime. The Pelicans then upset the Knicks in overtime.
3. 50 vs Denver Nuggets, 26th October 2016
Stat line: 50 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks on 50.0% shooting
Anthony Davis had a great 2015-16 season after averaging a double-double but the team did not enjoy great success as they failed to make it to the Playoffs. Davis only played in 61 games because of left knee and shoulder injuries. He returned back to the NBA for the 2016-17 season opener and lit up the Smoothie King Center as he dropped 50 points on the night.
Davis opened his account with a tough fading jumper and went on to score 10 straight points for the Pelicans in the first quarter. No one apart from Davis could get it going and the Pelicans were down by 12 points at the half.
He was sensational and his all-round efforts kept the Pelicans in the game. After the first three quarters, the Nuggets were up by 8 and the home team had a chance to beat them but Davis did not get the kind of support he needed and the Nuggets won the game 107-102.
2. 53 vs Phoenix Suns, 26th February 2018
Stat line: 53 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks and a steal on 55.2% shooting
The Pelicans eked out a win against the Bucks and were up against Phoenix Suns on the second night of the back-to-back. Anthony Davis was already having monster games and his name was constantly up in MVP discussions. Against the Suns, Davis had his first 50-point game of the season which greatly helped to beat them.
Davis started with a mid-range jumper and went on to dominate the Suns the way only he could. His presence was felt everywhere as he blocked shots, made threes, slammed few alley-oops home. Even with Davis' heroics, the Suns were leading for quite some time in the third quarter. With 6:54 remaining in the third quarter, Davis knocked down a jumper to give the home team the lead.
He was very dominant in the paint and the Suns' defenders were left scratching their heads as they ran out of ways to stop the Brow. Anthony continued to make big plays in the fourth quarter and with 1:23 seconds remaining, he slammed one home off a missed layup attempt by Rondo for the dagger.
Anthony received praise from all around the league for his dominant performance. He also pulled down 18 boards and had a staggering 5 blocks as Pelicans torched the Suns.
1. 59 at Detroit Pistons, 21st February 2016
Stat line (Anthony Davis' Career High): 59 points, 20 rebounds, 4 assists and a block on 70.6% shooting
The Pelicans defeated Philadelphia 76ers two nights before, on the back of a strong performance from All-Star Anthony Davis who scored 34 points. However, Pelicans were with a losing record and there was no way they could relax with one good win. Two nights later, Davis continued his form and exploded for 59 points to defeat Pistons.
The Brow started with a bucket in the paint, off the glass. He was red-hot and could not be stopped as he kept knocking down mid-range jumpers. With only 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Davis slammed it home and the score was tied at 55 at the half.
Anthony came out strong in the third quarter and scored the first basket with an easy layup. He was really good in the paint and the Pistons' defenders had no answer for Davis. In the fourth quarter, it was a back-and-forth affair but Davis kept making big plays to give the Pelicans the edge. With New Orleans up by five and just over one minute remaining, Anthony made two free throws to extend the lead to 7.
Anthony Davis performance of a career-high 59 points on a ridiculous 24-34 shooting was way too much to handle for the Pistons as they lost the game 106-111.
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