The Celtics had its seven-game win streak snapped on Tuesday night, as Anthony Davis’ 45 points and 16 rebounds led the Pelicans to a 116-113 overtime victory at TD Garden.
It was the Celtics’ first loss of 2018.
The bigger story, though, is Davis, whose stellar performance in Boston followed his 48-point, 17-rebound outing in New Orleans’ 123-118 win at the Knicks on Sunday. Charles Barkley is the only other player in NBA history to register at least 45 points and 15 rebounds in back-to-back games since 1983-84, per nola.com.
It also marks the second time Davis has had consecutive games of 45 and 15, and only seven players in NBA history have done it even once. He’s closing in on Shaquille O’Neal for the most 45-15 games since the merger.
Read: Warriors' Kevin Durant continues dominance over Cavaliers
Also, James Harden is the only other player this season with back-to-back games of 40-plus points. Jrue Holiday contributed 23 points and seven assists to the New Orleans win, and DeMarcus Cousins added 19 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 27 points. The win, which nola.com calls the “most impressive victory of the season” for New Orleans, marks the third straight for the now 23-20 Pelicans.
The Celtics dropped to 34-11 but remain in first place in the Eastern Conference.
STUDS OF THE NIGHT
Evan Fournier had career highs of 32 points and six made 3-pointers in Orlando’s 108-102 win at home over Minnesota.
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic needed only one half to log a double-double against the Mavericks, as his 20 points and 11 rebounds helped Denver take a 61-48 lead into the locker room. He finished with 29 and 18, and the big man can pass, too. Here’s one of his seven assists in the Nugs’ 105-102 win.
Also read: Warriors blows 27-point halftime lead, holds on for win over Raptors
DUDS OF THE NIGHT
After an MLK Day replete with pettiness, we hoped for better on Tuesday. A few players in Orlando let us down, though, as the Magic’s Arron Afflalo swung wildly at the Timberwolves' Nemanja Bjelica, who responded by putting Afflalo in a headlock.
Both players were T’d up for the second time of the game and ejected thusly.
HIGHLIGHT
Before the Afflalo-Bjelica brouhaha, the Magic put on this dazzling display of end-to-end basketball en route to a 108-102 win, as Bismack Biyombo blocked a Karl-Anthony Towns drive to Elfrid Payton, who then lobbed a half-count alley-oop pass for an Aaron Gordon dunk.
WHAT’S NEXT
After Tuesday night’s light four-game schedule, the NBA is back in full swing with 10 games on Wednesday. We have our eye on a pair of games featuring playoff-bound teams in the strengthening Eastern Conference, as the Pistons (22-20) visit the Raptors (29-13), and the Heat (25-18) go to Milwaukee (23-20).
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