BROOKLYN – New Orleans three-time All-Star forward Anthony Davis' status for Thursday's game against Brooklyn will be determined later today, according to the fifth-year pro after shootaround. Davis went crashing into the baseline seats Monday at Madison Square Garden, after being shoved from behind by New York's Kyle O'Quinn, injuring Davis' left hip. O'Quinn was ejected from the game and fined $25,000 by the NBA based on the incident.
“It's getting better,” said Davis, who is listed as questionable on the Pelicans' injury report. “We'll see tonight, how I feel. I'm going to try to do some running on it, and see how it feels.”
Asked whether there is potential concern about trying to play through the injury if pain remains in the hip at game time, Davis responded, “You use your hip for everything, when you run, when you jump. If there is still some pain there, then it's tough to do that. So we're just going to see how I feel when I come back (to Barclays Center) tonight.”
Other notes from shootaround:
Brooklyn's injury report consists of Jeremy Lin (out, strained left hamstring) and Trevor Booker (probably, left hip contusion). …
Davis on defending against the Nets, a prolific three-point shooting team: “I think they're third in attempts and maybe fifth in makes, so we've got to be smart defensively, in how we play. We can't overreact if they make some – if you shoot a lot, you're going to make some – but we can't give them any easy ones on our defensive breakdowns.” …
Pelicans rookie Buddy Hield, who's rapidly become a dangerous perimeter NBA shooter himself, on the focus of New Orleans defense vs. Brooklyn: “Just get into their airspace. Guard them tight and get them to make plays off the dribble. Just be more aggressive.”
