Davis Becomes 1st with 36 Points, 14 Rebounds, 9 Blocks, 7 Assists
New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis had 36 points, 14 rebounds, nine blocks and seven assists in Sunday's 118-111 double-overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, making him the first player to reach all of those statistical benchmarks in one game since blocks were first recorded in 1973-74, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).
While his incredible night wasn't quite enough to lift the Pelicans to a key victory, Davis accumulated his stats in an efficient manner, making 16 of his 28 field-goal attempts and four of his six free throws, with just two turnovers in a season-high 50 minutes.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, No other player has recorded a game with 35 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks this season, while Davis has now done so twice, having recently put up 39 points, 13 boards and eight blocks in a March 4 win over the Detroit Pistons.
The 22-year-old big man ranks among the NBA's per-game leaders in most key categories, sitting fourth in points (24.7), ninth in rebounds (10.4), first in blocks (2.9) and even 29th in steals (1.4).
Davis also ranks fifth in double-doubles (35) and first in total blocks (158), despite missing 12 of the Pelicans' 66 games to date.
With 16 games remaining in their season, the Pelicans finished Sunday's action a game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with the fading Phoenix Suns sitting another two games back.
Not to write off Houston Rockets guard James Harden, but the outcome of the battle for the No. 8 seed may ultimately determine the NBA's MVP, with Davis and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook both boasting solid cases.
