Who is the New Orleans Pelicans’ all-time leader in blocks in a single game?

The NBA has had many great shot-blockers grace its hardwood. Titans like Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Kareem Adbul-Jabaar. Recently, we’ve had new mammoths come along, like Rudy Gobert, Walker Kessler, and Jaren Jackson Jr., safeguarding the interior and sending shots to a different dimension.

Funny enough, none of those great shot-blockers we mentioned is the all-time leader in blocks in a single game. That title belongs to one Elmore Smith, who, on October 28, 1973, blocked a whopping 17 shots for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Portland Trail Blazers.

While he never won a Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award or even made an All-Defensive Team, Smith was a great shot blocker during his time. For his career, he averaged 2.9 blocks per game. And he won the block title in 1973-74 (the year he had his 17-block game), averaging 4.9 blocks per game.

So what about the New Orleans Pelicans? Who holds their franchise record for most blocks in a single game?

The answer to that question is a lot less obscure of a name than the one we just mentioned (no offense Elmore Smith!). It’s the player who also holds the franchise record for most points in a single playoff game. It’s Anthony Davis.

On March 11, 2018, against the Utah Jazz (so against Gobert), Davis blocked ten shots in 40 minutes. But that’s not even the craziest part. Not only does Davis hold the franchise record for most blocks in a single game, he has the eight highest single game block outputs in Pelicans/Hornets history (and nine of the top ten). Holy block.

For those wondering, here is the top-10 list for most blocks in a single game in franchise history  (the date on which each of these performances took place is listed in the parenthesis):

1. Anthony Davis – 10 (March 11, 2018)

2. Anthony Davis – 9 (December 1, 2015)

3. Anthony Davis – 9 (March 15, 2015)

4. Anthony Davis – 9 (October 28, 2014)

5. Anthony Davis – 9 (November 16, 2013)

6. Anthony Davis – 8 (March 4, 2015)

7. Anthony Davis – 8 (January 28, 2014)

8. Anthony Davis – 8 (November 20, 2013)

9. DeMarcus Cousins – 7 (October 18, 2017)

10. Anthony Davis – 7 (January 26, 2014)

This is just another reminder of how awesome Davis was as a defender during his time with the Pelicans. Also, for those wondering, the most blocks in a game by a Pelican/Hornet not named Anthony Davis or DeMarcus Cousins is seven by Tyson Chandler. Like Davis, he also did it against the Jazz on January 27, 2007.