Pelicans' Anthony Davis heavily booed by home crowd, benched in fourth quarter of first game since trade demand
Anthony Davis was not received favorably by the Pelicans' home crowd and didn't see the court in the fourth
It's safe to the say that the New Orleans Pelicans fan base is not too happy with Anthony Davis.
In his first game for the Pelicans in nearly a month -- and more importantly, his first game since his trade demand -- Davis was introduced in the starting lineup prior to the team's 122-117 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, only to be booed heavily by the home crowd at Smoothie King Center.
Davis clearly doesn't want to be in New Orleans and he's only playing because the trade deadline passed without a deal and because the NBA is forcing the Pelicans' hand. It was reported earlier by ESPN's Brian Windhorst that the NBA would fine the Pelicans $100,000 for each game they sat a healthy Davis.
While it's understandable that the Pelicans crowd would boo Davis considering this is a forced marriage for the remainder of the 2018-19 season, what's ironic is that they also cheered him when he made baskets -- which would defeat the purpose of booing him in the first place.
And if that wasn't awkward enough, prepare for a lot of this for the next 26 games of the regular season.
Davis was brilliant in his time on the court, scoring 32 points and pulling down nine rebounds in just 24 minutes, but he was conspicuously absent in a close game in the fourth quarter. Davis didn't play one minute in the fourth, which could give us an indication of how they plan to use him moving forward.
The summer cannot come soon enough for Davis and the Pelicans.
CBS Sports HQ Daily Newsletter
Get the best highlights and stories - yeah, just the good stuff handpicked by our team to start your day.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox for the latest sports news.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
-
2019 NBA All-Star Saturday Night results
It was a great Saturday night at NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte
-
Diallo's Superman dunk steals the show
Diallo even finished with his elbow in the rim a la Vince Carter
-
Diallo beats Smith to win Dunk Contest
Diallo beat Smith in the championship round of an event that didn't live up to the hype
-
Harris beats Curry in 3-point contest
Harris put up two impressive rounds to take the title
-
Tatum tops Young to win Skills Challenge
Tatum used a ridiculous shot to seal the win
-
Silver jokes about Dirk retiring
Silver added Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade to the All-Star Game as honorary All-Stars