This story has been updated.
Anthony Davis, the third-year phenom making his way to his second All-Star Game, scored 32 points and collected 10 rebounds, leading the New Orleans Pelicans in a 99-74 thrashing of the Philadelphia 76ers at the Smoothie King Center.
It was the twelfth time this season Davis had scored at least 30 points in a game, and was his 26th double-double of 2014-15.
Davis dominated the first quarter, scoring 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and helping the Pelicans build an 11-point lead. Pelicans head coach Monty Williams sat his starters to start the second quarter and the 76ers steadily cut the lead down to one… until Davis returned at the 6:32 mark, notching a quick steal, a crowd-pleasing alley-oop dunk, and two made free-throws.
Davis was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line tonight. He finished the game with 63.2 percent shooting in 30:32 on the floor.
Ryan Anderson scored 19 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, and shot 4-of-5 from behind the three-point arc. Eric Gordon dropped 13 points and dished out five assists in one of his best-looking outings this year.
Omer Asik recorded 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, but turned the ball over three times.
Monty Williams cleared his bench for the entirety of the fourth quarter — resulting in some ugly basketball that sucked the air out of the sparse crowd. Despite the weak play the Pelicans ended up holding on to their 25-point lead and closed out the night with their 24th win of the season.
Tonight’s game was the Pelicans’ fourth win in a row, the longest winning streak of the season for the Birds and a crucial run before the All-Star break. Monty Williams has had trouble stringing back-to-back wins together in his time in New Orleans — the Pelicans managed a five-game win streak last year (before losing eight in a row). Monty also engineered four-game win streaks in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Williams' hottest run came in 2010-11, in his first year in New Orleans with the then-Hornets, when the team started the season with eight wins in a row. They also put together a nine-game streak in January before the All-Star break.
That year the Hornets went 46-36 and made their last postseason appearance, losing in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the final year with the last incredible player to grace the Louisiana hardwood: Chris Paul.
The Pelicans will be back in action on Wednesday, facing off against the 18-26 Denver Nuggets.
