Anthony Davis Joins Olajuwon and Howard with Rare Stat Line
New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis returned from a shoulder injury to record 39 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in Wednesday's 88-85 win over the Detroit Pistons, joining Hakeem Olajuwon and Dwight Howard as the only players to reach all three of those statistical marks in a single game over the last 30 seasons, per ESPN Stats & Info.
You'd never have known that Davis missed the previous five games, as he added two assists and three steals to round out his phenomenal stat line, with just one turnover to boot. He also made 17 of his 30 field-goal attempts, adding five free throws on seven tries from the charity stripe.
Olajuwon had a game with 43 points, 16 boards and eight blocks in November 1994, while Howard recorded 45 points, 19 rebounds and eight blocks in a February 2009 contest, per Basketball-Reference.com's Play Index.
While Davis' stat line perhaps fell a bit short of those other two performances, it was still badly needed by his team, as the rest of the Pelicans combined for just 49 points, making 20 of their 60 field-goal attempts.
Starting point guard Tyreke Evans contributed 21 points, with backup center Alexis Ajinca chipping in another 10. Incredibly, no other Pelican managed more than four points, though four players scored exactly that many.
Davis earned another spot in the record books during Wednesday's win, as his seventh block of the night (and 437th of his career) pushed him past David West for the most blocks in New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets history, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Of course, it's seemingly only a matter of time before Davis becomes the franchise leader in a slew of different categories.
First, he'll face the Boston Celtics on Friday as the Pelicans look for a seventh win in eight games.
