New Orleans Pelicans sidestep Anthony Davis injury scare, throttle Atlanta Hawks, 112-94

An 18-point victory with Anthony Davis playing only 19 minutes? An 18-point victory on the road over the best defensive team in the league, the Atlanta Hawks? In a word, “WHAT?”

Yes, watching Davis hurt his knee while running towards the bench, well, hurts, but the fact that the much maligned supporting cast was able to hold down the fort and then some is a sight for sore eyes.

Some assorted thoughts:

• Tim Frazier is growing into a super-sized -- in theory not actual size, of course -- version of Ish Smith right before our eyes. The dude can dart with the ball, jitterbugging his way into the lane and parlaying his unique anticipation with his speed to create easy fast break opportunities. This subtle “pushing” of the ball is key to a team lacking with reliable scoring options in the half court. What a treat it is to watch Frazier play.
• Before the game, I called on Langston Galloway to continue his shooting surge to act as the secondary scorer the Pelicans would need to secure a win. Instead, E’Twaun Moore picked up the slack from the get-go, pouring in shots from the outside, knifing his way into the lane and generally doing the pesky things that have became his trademark. He finished with 15 points and 3 threes — tying for the most three-pointers from a single game all season.
• Hey! Solomon Hill made some threes! Three of them in fact! In addition, he converted a shot in the paint while on the move in traffic!
• Terrence Jones contributed in a big way off of the bench (17 points, 6 rebounds), and you can start to see his game gaining some steam as of late. This development is a big one, as his ability to score and utilize his frisky length on the defensive end is difficult for most bench behemoths to contend with. People forget that Jones was an up-and-coming player as recent as a year and a half ago, and if his outside shot ever regains consistency, there will be more than a handful of teams kicking themselves for not taking a gamble on him this summer. (There is a world where Jones eventually pushes himself into the starting lineup, and that is a world I wish to live in.)
• It was refreshing to build a lead of substance without having to rely on Jrue Holiday playing the role of offensive magician. Regardless, he did a little of everything: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
• I don’t really understand what the upside was to bringing Davis back into the game late? Usually re-entering a physically fragile big man during a blowout win after he just sustained a freak knee injury (although it was obviously not serious) is not the best of ideas. Well, at least he proved himself healthy enough to return.
• The win in one highlight:

Here is the box score for those who are interested in more stats. Great win!