Anthony Davis Dominating New Orleans Pelicans' Highlights

Anthony Davis has been spectacular early in 2014-15. His fellow New Orleans Pelicans? Not so much.

The Pels have mustered up just 10 wins through their first 21 games, but the 21-year-old MVP candidate has been their shining star in the box scores and on the highlight reels.

New Orleans, a typically wild place known for extravagance and fun, has been kind of...well, boring on the hardwood, outside of Davis.

The following slides contain 10 of the Pelicans’ best plays from the first quarter of the NBA season, ranked in terms of excitement (you know, the "wow" factor) and importance.

Get ready for a serious helping of The Brow.

Honorable Mention: Sweet Pass by Gal Mekel

The name "Gal Mekel" might not strike fear in the hearts of NBA players, but Pelicans fans need to learn it, live it and love it.

Mekel, a quirky point guard with a funky name, signed with New Orleans on Dec. 5. He suited up for the Dallas Mavericks last year, scoring 2.4 points and dishing out 2.0 dimes in 9.4 minutes.

Here's a summary of Mekel's basketball journey from the AP (h/t ESPN.com):

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Mekel played two seasons at Wichita State and then five seasons professionally in Israel before making his NBA debut last season. He won two Israeli Super League championships, one with Hapoel Gilboa Galil in 2010 and another with Maccabi Haifa in 2013. He was also named league MVP in 2011 and '13.

"

"I like that he can pass. He puts his passes on the button,” coach Monty Williams said of his new player, per John Reid of NOLA.com.

“I’m a true point guard,” Mekel said. “We have a lot of talent on this team. So it's fun for me and easy to play with good players. I'm really looking forward to learning and moving forward.”

In all honesty, Mekel probably won’t play a huge role in the Pels’ quest for a 2014-15 playoff berth. But given his affinity for flashy dishes, it’ll be interesting to see him run with the gazelle named Davis on the fast break.

10. First of Many Dunks for Davis

Davis’ first bucket of the year appropriately came on a post-steal slam in a 101-84 victory over the Orlando Magic on Oct. 28.

The former Kentucky stud has racked up 62 dunks to date, which is the most in the league according to CBS Sports.

Tyson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan (61 each) are the only ones who are close. However, Chandler has an advantage because that’s literally the only shot he can convert without bellowing for a foul that never even happened.

As you will see here, Davis is quite the dunker, but not the kind who would do well in the Slam Dunk Contest. He flushes with more authority than flash, often using one hand to catch a poorly thrown alley-oop or to slam back an errant shot.

The jam in the video above is about as showy as AD will get.

9. Holiday Lobs to Davis, Who Scoffs at Gravity

NFL quarterbacks frequently use checkdown options. When nothing is working downfield or as they try to evade an incoming wave of pressure, they get the ball out quick.

The guards on the Pelicans aren’t all that different.

Whenever they're in a jam, all they have to do is lob the ball in the same zip code as the rim, and Davis will rise up to pound it home.

On this play, Jrue Holiday found himself surrounded by three Minnesota Timberwolves, and up went the rock until it met Davis’ Calvin Johnson-like hands well over the white square.

Davis nearly hit his head on the rim before he converted the slam, a testament to just how lanky and athletic this guy is.

Running a pick-and-roll with Davis surging toward the basket is the Pelicans’ best chance to put points on the board. If the defense collapses on him, shooters on the perimeter will be open.

And if no one slows down AD, the rim is about to take a beating.

8. Tyreke with a Freak Three-Point Bomb

Believe me, Manu Ginobili has not lost a wink of sleep over this shot.

Tyreke Evans launched the wild three-pointer as the second quarter came to a close in New Orleans’ 100-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 8. And somehow, it found the bottom of the net.

The former Rookie of the Year (2010) has knocked down his fair share of shots at the horn, and this one actually ranks pretty low on the list in terms of significance and ridiculousness (for a much greater buzzer-beating, logic-defying heave from Evans, check this one out).

While he isolates to a fault and over-dribbles at times, Evans' clutchness can not be denied.

7. Davis Slams Two-Handed 'Oop

We’re on to you, Tyreke. We know that was actually a shot, you ball-hogging trickster.

Though Evans got credited with an assist on the two-handed, granny-style field-goal attempt, Davis was the star of this one-play show.

The slam took place during a game that the Pelicans won 109-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Davis totaled 25 points (8-16 FG) and 12 boards as Kobe Bryant chucked his way to 33 points on an offensive-to-watch 10-of-28 shooting.

While viewers of this contest might have been disgusted at the Mamba’s blatant selfishness, Davis saved the day with an authoritative flush and a blue-collar night on both ends.

Side note: In reality, Evans' pass was actually on point.

6. Don't Jump, Robin Lopez...Just Don't

Robin Lopez may have a sweet afro, but he doesn’t have the type of bounce to jump with a stallion like Davis.

Evans did the wise thing in obliging AD’s request for the ‘oop, and the ensuing highlight was a sight to behold.

After Davis flushed it home, he glanced back in a “C’mon, man” sort of way. Lopez is no stranger to getting jammed on, though, so he probably wasn't fazed—notice how quickly he got ready to inbound the ball.

Lopez wasn't the first one to get posterized by The Brow: Glen "Big Baby" Davis will tell you what that's like.

Despite the embarrassing outcome, you have to respect the big fella for showing some defensive heart. But the next time he sees Davis galloping toward the cup on the break, staying grounded might be the wise thing to do.

New Orleans eventually fell 102-93 to the Portland Trail Blazers back on Nov. 18 despite 31 points, 11 boards, three assists, three steals and three blocks from Davis.

5. Ryan Anderson Stroking the Long Ball Against Cleveland

Hey, look! Someone other than Anthony Davis.

That’s right, folks. In what will be a short intermission from the AD Experience, here’s a clip of Ryan Anderson’s scorching shooting night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Anderson got going early against the Cavs, who made a point of leaving him open from beyond the arc.

Cleveland came out on top of this contest, but not without a little bit of sweat. It took 32 points (and a triple-double) from LeBron James, 32 from Kyrie Irving and 22 from Kevin Love—a combined 86—to pull out the win.

That was really the first glimmer of what’s eventually to come of the new Big Three, since it was the first time all year that the trio had meshed and collectively played well.

It was also one of the few times this year, and for the foreseeable future, that a Pelican will shine brighter than Davis.

Anderson connected on eight of his 12 tries from three-point land, finishing the night with a team-high 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting.

This hasn’t been confirmed, but word is that the Cavaliers had new nets installed after Anderson went all NBA Jam (boomshakalacka!) on ‘em.

4. Opening Night Block Party

Davis had 26 points and 17 boards on opening night in New Orleans. But here’s the crazy part: Those weren't even the most impressive aspects of his night.

The freakishly long Davis, who is listed as 6’10”, treated the Orlando Magic the same way teenage girls treat their parents on social media: He blocked them almost 10 times.

Davis’ nine-block night was a sign of things to come, as he currently stands atop the leaderboard for swatted shots with 2.9 a game.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Davis was the “the first player with 26 points, 17 rebounds, 9 blocks and 3 steals in a game since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1989-90. Olajuwon did it three times that season.”

The oft-injured Omer Asik, who starts at center for New Orleans when healthy, jumped in on the party and added seven blocks of his own.

"We just know that we're a load in that paint—him with his great body and me able to move around, just try to follow the ball and get rebounds," Davis said afterwards, via the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "It's a good combination."

Despite Davis’ stellar individual defense, New Orleans is allowing 100.5 points per game, 18th-most in the league.

3. AD Lifts Pels over Spurs

Wins against the reigning-champion, all-time great San Antonio Spurs are hard to come by. So when the young Pelicans managed to steal one from their division rivals on Nov. 8, it was a big deal.

Davis did what superstars do and converted the eventual game-winner on a play that wasn’t even designed for him.

“The play was (potentially) to go to Jrue for the backdoor (cut),” Davis said, per Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. “When I caught the ball, I was in attack mode. I just tried to make a good play. I just tried to be aggressive, like I was the whole game, and made the basket. I took my time, saw I got around (Baynes) and tried to finish the play.”

AD notched 27 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks on the night, but the looping right-handed bucket with under seven seconds to go was the biggest play of the night and one of the biggest of the year.

“It was big-time,” Evans said of his star teammate. “He did what we expect him to do. He got the ball and attacked. The play was for Jrue, but it was wide-open on the right side and (Davis) took it. It was a great move by him.”

If Davis is ever to become one of the greats, this play will be replaced in our memory by more meaningful shots at the end of playoff and NBA Finals games.

But for now, this one’s pretty darn cool.

2. Two Blocks in Two Seconds

According to David Pegg of List25.com, in just 60 seconds “the sun will fling 60 million tons of matter into space...31,600 tons of water will flow over the Niagara Falls...960 million tons of water will evaporate from the surface of the Earth."

Give Davis one-thirtieth of that time, and he’ll perform a feat of nature even greater than flinging space matter or evaporating water, just like he did in a 92-103 loss to the Blazers on Nov. 17.

On that fateful night, AD blocked two shots in two seconds.

Here’s Bleacher Report’s Dan Carson with his always entertaining take on the play:

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Two of Davis’ blocks occurred during a dizzyingly absurd sequence in the second quarter. ... The 21-year-old packed an Aldridge jumper, deflecting the ball to Wesley Matthews, whom he also packed.

Davis then added a dash of paprika to the play by beating everyone down the court—because he’s a fleet-footed squid-stork with zero regard for human life.

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Davis is a beast in every sense of the word. By the end of the year, he should have enough of these crazy plays for a top-10 list.

1. Davis' Career Night Against the Jazz

On Saturday Nov. 22, Anthony Marshon Davis went off in epic fashion.

The 220-pound forward poured in a career-high 43 points in a 106-94 victory over the Utah Jazz. Perhaps the most impressive facet of this performance Davis doing his damage on 16-of-23 shooting.

He also added 14 rebounds, two steals and a block against Utah in the 106-94 victory.

“My team [relies] on me a lot, so I just decided to be aggressive from the beginning of the game,” Davis said, per Reid. “All of our guards did a great job of finding me to make sure I got the ball in my sweet spots. It was my job to knock them down. It's a testament to my team.”

Davis scores a lot of points on dunks and in transition but flexed his entire offensive arsenal that night, hitting long-range jumpers and going one-on-one against whichever poor soul had the impossible task of guarding him.

“He just outworked everybody,” Williams said. “I thought his energy helped him score 10 or 15 of his points. ... It's probably one he'll remember for a long time.”

Davis’ previous high was 40 points, which he recorded against the Boston Celtics last March.

As AD continues to improve—and his teammates continue to let him down—it wouldn’t be shocking to see a few more efficient 40-plus scoring nights before the conclusion of 2014-15.

All stats are accurate as of Dec. 11 courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.