Anthony Davis Struggles in 30-Point Loss to Magic

After 24 minutes on the floor, the New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis was unable to get the job done. In addition to the off-the-court drama that has grabbed the attention of NBA enthusiasts, Tuesday night's performance added more fuel to the Anthony Davis discussion. Davis left the floor after submitting a 1-9 shooting performance while participating in a 30-point loss at the hands of the Orlando Magic. His troubles began in the first quarter and continued to progress throughout the span of the regular season game. E'Twaun Moore tried to carry his team, but unfortunately, his 19-point effort could not change the fact that there are big problems in New Orleans.

It is old news to report that Anthony Davis wants out of the New Orleans Pelicans organization. After requesting a trade to do so and stirring up locker rooms across the league, it is clear that Anthony Davis does not mind voicing his opinions.

After the buzzer sounded, it was clear that the loss did not sit well with Davis. When asked about the team's performance Tuesday night, he made sure he spoke with his honest opinion: "We sucked. Nobody was interested in playing is what it looked like." To Anthony's defense, it did in fact look as if no one was interested in playing on the Pelicans roster. The Pelicans constantly trailed the Magic while playing at home for four consistent quarters. The Pelicans shooting percentage did not help the team produce even the slightest chance to win. Their 38 percent shooting was not enough to knock off the focused Orlando Magic. With three 20-point contributors on the floor for the Orlando Magic, including All-Star center Nikola Vucevic's 25-point performance.

For NBA teams approaching the All-Star break, drama is the last topic in the locker room. The fact that teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers were willing to trade some of their key pieces to their roster this year shows the league how important Anthony Davis is. Davis has proved to the league on multiple occasions that he deserves to be considered in the conversation of "most dominant big men" in the league. This season Davis is averaging 28.5 points per game in addition to grabbing 13.1 rebounds. A walking double-double is equivalent to a building block in the NBA and teams are not afraid to make moves to possess it.

Davis has always shown the ability to be the number one scorer on a team since the 2013-2014 season. It was then when he completed the goal of his, maintaining a 20 points per average. Since 2015, Davis has completed four seasons averaging above 25 points per game, not including the season currently underway. When the NBA merged into the fast-paced game viewers watch today, Davis decided to work on his three point shot. Since entering the league in 2013, Davis's three point percentage has increased 32 percent. Anthony Davis's field goal percentage has not taken a toll due to his point contribution either. His .516 field goal percentage goes to show why he is considered one of the league's most dangerous big men.

The New Orleans Pelicans are a team that has a lot of decisions to make moving into the All-Star break. Besides the Anthony Davis discussions, the Pelicans must focus on improving their 25-33 record. With teams such as the Lakers, Mavericks, and Timberwolves playing good enough basketball to stay in playoff contention, the Pelicans must put all drama behind them in order to make a push for the Western Conference playoffs.