Written by Justin Verrier at ESPN.com
Pelicans star Anthony Davis openly proclaimed ahead of Sunday’s All-Star Game that he was going after the MVP award, and he didn’t make his master plan on how to do so much of a secret.
“Coach [Alvin] Gentry already told me every time I catch it to put it up,” said Davis upon being selected to his fourth straight spot on the Western Conference team.
The Western Conference All-Stars seemed to have no problems feeding Davis on his home floor at the Smoothie King Center.
Davis took an All-Star record 39 shots and scored 52 points to lead the West over the East at the 66th All-Star Game, 192-182 — the highest-scoring game in league history.
The 23-year-old’s point total smashed the previous record of 42, set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962.
“I stressed that, I think more than enough, to the guys in the locker room before the game that I wanted to get the MVP for this crowd, for the city, and I ended up doing it,” Davis said. “Them guys did a great job of just finding me, giving me the basketball. They wanted me to score 50. Every time, Kawhi [Leonard] was like, ‘Six more points.’ Or James [Harden] was like, ‘I’m going to pass you the ball.'”
The 374 points scored between the teams are the most in NBA All-Star Game history, according to ESPN Stats & Information, surpassing the previous high of 369 set last season.
The honor is the first NBA trophy for Davis, who finished fifth in regular-season MVP voting after the 2014-15 season.
“It was a lot of fun,” Davis said. “My teammates did a great job of looking for me.”
Davis placed the accomplishment behind his gold medals from the Olympics and World Cup and his NCAA championship, but called it “an award that I’m going to cherish forever.”
Davis, 23, also had 10 rebounds. He held off a late MVP charge by Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who had 41 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
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