Getty New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis
The 12-7 Philadelphia 76ers are 9-0 at home and have quickly become an Eastern Conference Finals hopeful with the addition of star guard Jimmy Butler. They’ve won their last three games, and will be looking to do the same tonight against Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Despite having the home advantage, the Pelicans may be able to take advantage of recent discord in the team as news of Markelle Fultz’s inactivity is trending this week. The young guard and former No. 1 overall pick has been facing endless ridicule about his perplexing shooting form, but it was revealed this week that he’ll be inactive with the team from now on until he sees a specialist for a lingering shoulder injury that is apparently at the core of the issue.
The Pelicans have been facing injury woes of their own this season–Davis has missed a few games with an elbow injury, and the team is noticeably less efficient when he is off the floor.
Add to that the fact that point guard Elfrid Payton has missed almost the entire season thus far, and the New Orleans team is sitting lower in the Western Conference rankings than they had hoped, especially while having an MVP candidate in Davis.
Anthony Davis can catch literally any lob you throw at him
For a stacked team that has more talent than most, the Fultz issue has been something of a wrench in the machine. With him gone now it may be even more so, as he’s been holding his own despite the injury and playing around 22 minutes per game. Those minutes will likely be soaked up by TJ McConnell, but who’s to say how seamless it’ll be?
The Pelicans are on a win streak of their own and appear to be gaining momentum as Davis has finally been able to play consistently with the team. When the two teams face off tonight at 7:00 pm EST, it’s anybody’s game.
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Anthony Davis Seeks to Hand 76ers Their First Home Loss Amid Fultz Discord