New Orleans Pelicans lose to Indiana Pacers on MLK Day: Four Takeaways

2. The Pacers’ bigs are no test for Anthony Davis

Davis was 6-9 for 14 points in the first half, and though the shooting and lineup changes were a big boost for the offense in the second quarter, most important (as always) was Davis’s play. He was tremendous on both ends after checking in around the 7:00 mark.

He blocked Paul George at the rim in transition to put an exclamation mark on his return to the game before taking over the game on offense. It was the sort of stretch we’ve grown accustomed to from him this year: He decides the game is going some way he’s not too fond of, and bends it to his will through lots of face-up mid-rangers. Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young were no help.

There is simply no player in the NBA capable of stopping Davis when he gets in this zone. He is in the 66.7th percentile of isolation scorers in the league, ahead of players like Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, and LeBron James. His 3.0 points per game in such situations rank in the league’s upper echelon as well. Those clandestine numbers are a primary reason for the Pelicans ability to stay in games despite a lack of offensive synchronicity.

Davis is full of clever (and effective) new tricks to trip up opposing defenders. Most of them were on display tonight: Taking the ball coast-to-coast after a rebound, driving from the top of the key with the shot clock emptying, passing out of isolation situations. I shouldn’t have been so scared that Turner would pose a new threat and take Davis out of rhythm.

In the second half on Monday, the Pacers became the latest team to be victimized by the 2016-17 Anthony Davis Show, and it was wonderful to watch. Then, he got fouled on a dunk attempt in the third, and the temperature of the game flipped.