LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — New Orleans star Anthony Davis took another frightening fall on Monday and the Pelicans succumbed 98-95 to the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
The Pacers, humbled 140-112 by the Denver Nuggets in London on Thursday, got 19 points from Paul George and held on for the bounce-back victory that still had coach Nate McMillan wanting to see better.
“We had lots of lazy possessions and missed free throws down the stretch,” McMillan said. “We’ve got to be better. Our execution at the end, you won’t win many games like that.”
The Pelicans had three scoring chances in the last 20 seconds that could have sent the game to overtime.
They finished the game without Davis, who hurt his right hip and left thumb after landing hard on his back after a foul by Pacers center Myles Turner in the third quarter.
The Pelicans said X-rays came back negative, and Davis still finished the game as the team’s top scorer with 16 points.
A week earlier, Davis suffered a bruised hip when he was pushed in the back by New York Knicks center Kyle O’Quinn as he rose toward the basket.
Davis flew into a row of seats and missed Thursday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
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