LeBron James-Anthony Davis Pressure Gap on Display and Monday's NBA Takeaways
It was only a matter of time before LeBron James stabilized the Cleveland Cavaliers offense with a statistical outburst, and that's exactly what happened Monday night.
As we've come to expect, James rose to the occasion with the Cavaliers (3-3), facing a chance to get back to .500, posting 32 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in Cleveland's 118-111 win against the New Orleans Pelicans (3-3).
But in the midst of LeBron's best single-game performance of this young season, Anthony Davis happened.
One game removed from recording 27 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks and four steals against the San Antonio Spurs, Davis exploded once again, tallying 27 points (12-of-21 shooting), 14 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and three steals in a losing effort.
According to Basketball-Reference.com (h/t to Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal), Davis became the third player since 1985 to record those numbers without committing a turnover. Charles Barkley (1987) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1990) are the other two.
"He is one of the game's elite players right now, for sure," James said of Davis before Monday night's game, according to Fox Sports Southwest's Jennifer Hale. "You look at his numbers, points, blocks and steals. If he continues to stay healthy and grow like he's been doing, he can be a superstar in this league for sure."
And while it's impossible not to drool over those numbers the way LeBron has, Davis' incomparable production at just 21 years of age has made it easier to lower the bar as it pertains to expectations in the win column.
Compare that to James, who's defined almost exclusively by his ability to produce wins under the most stressful circumstances, and a stark contrast emerges.
Although Davis receives a temporary pass because he posts historically significant figures on such a routine basis, the time will soon come when statistical excellence isn't enough.
As ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton (subscription required) wrote this past February, Davis possesses the blend of skills necessary to sit atop the NBA's superstar hierarchy:
"Imagine that Davis develops into a top-five scorer, a game-changing defender and a dominant rebounder," Pelton wrote. "The flashes of brilliance he demonstrates on a nightly basis make that easy, if you try. That's Davis' MVP-caliber upside, one he's right on track to reaching."
However, as James is well aware, Davis' designation as one of the Association's future cornerstones will be accompanied by intense (and sometimes unfair) scrutiny.
With those sort of lofty expectations continually hovering over his head, Davis will be tasked with leading New Orleans outside of the box score and into the playoffs.
Now that he's surrounded by a healthy supporting cast that includes Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson and Omer Asik, the Pelicans' stock is finally trending in the right direction.
But when it finally comes time for New Orleans to make a complete breakthrough, it'll be incumbent upon Davis to deal with the mounting pressure and channel all of that individual greatness into sustained organizational success.
LeBron and the Cavaliers will be back in action Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, while Davis' Pelicans are set to host Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Around the Association
Atlanta Sweeps Home-and-Home
The New York Knicks suffered a fifth straight loss, as the Atlanta Hawks emerged victorious, 91-85, on the back end of a home-and-home.
While Carmelo Anthony fell just short of a triple-double with a game-high 25 points (11-of-25 shooting), nine rebounds and seven assists, Paul Millsap paced the Hawks with 19 points, including nine from beyond the arc.
Kyle Korver tacked on 17 points, and Dennis Schroder compiled a career-high 14 points, four assists and four boards in 28 of his finest minutes off the bench. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders noted Schroder scored the majority of his points in the fourth quarter, critically assisting his team in getting the win:
By scoring 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Iman Shumpert has now posted double-figure scoring totals in seven straight games. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Shumpert scored at least 10 points just 19 times last season.
Rose Returns, Leads Bulls Past Pistons
After missing four of the Chicago Bulls' last five games with sprained ankles, Derrick Rose returned to action Monday night, leading his club to a 102-91 win over the Detroit Pistons.
In 32 minutes, Rose scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting, while dropping a team-high seven assists. Utilizing floaters to supplement his breakaway speed in transition and getting some nice lift on his three-point shot (2-of-5 from deep), Rose was in complete control throughout.
Joakim Noah finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, and Pau Gasol tallied his fifth double-double (17 points, 15 rebounds) of the season in the win.
Spurs Come on Strong, Edge Clippers
Chris Paul fell one assist shy of a triple-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists) and missed a potential game-tying layup with three seconds on the clock as the Los Angeles Clippers squandered a seven-point lead with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter of an 89-85 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, via Twitter, noted their Big Three's 500th win:
San Antonio took its first lead with 1:44 remaining in regulation and never looked back, thanks in part to Kawhi Leonard's cold-blooded steal of Paul with 52 seconds left, noted by SI.com's Ben Golliver:
Leonard also finished with a season-high 26 points (10-of-18 shooting) and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Blake Griffin led the Clippers with a double-double of his own (23 points, 10 rebounds). ESPN Stats & Info noted Leonard tying his "regular-season career high":
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich noted that Monday's win was a glimpse into the future, according to the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald:
The Spurs outscored the Clippers by 10 in the final frame and climbed back to .500, despite shooting 2-of-19 from beyond the arc. According to NBA.com's player tracking data, the Spurs shot just 25 percent on uncontested field goals.
Wardrobe Malfunction
As if scoring two points on 0-of-5 shooting (2-of-4 from the line) while fouling out wasn't bad enough, Pistons center Andre Drummond was forced to don a misprinted uniform in Detroit's loss, as noted by NBA.com's J.E. Skeets:
