Pelicans open up season with big bang from Anthony Davis, as Pelicans defeat Magic 101-84

Before the season started I wrote an article about 5 MVP candidates of this season.  I had Anthony Davis as one of them.  The way he played tonight against the Orlando Magic just blew me away.  I also have the Pelicans as my sleeper team to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. The New Orleans Pelicans open up the season defeating the Orlando Magic 101-84.  See the list below of the top 5 scorers for each team.



Top 5 New Orleans Pelicans scorers


Anthony Davis- 26 points 17 rebounds, 9 blocks, 3 steals, 10/22 FG, 6/9 FT
Ryan Anderson- 22 points, 9 rebounds, 9/22 FG, 3/6 3pt
Omer Asik- 14 points, 17 rebounds, 5 blocks, 7/10 FG
Tyreke Evans- 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 5/15 FG
Jrue Holiday- 8 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4/11 FG






Top 5 Orlando Magic scorers


Tobias Harris- 25 points, 8 rebounds, 9/18 FG, 6/6 FT
Nikola Vucevic- 15 points, 23 rebounds, 4 blocks, 7/15 FG
Evan Fournier- 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3/11 FG, 2/4 3pt
Aaron Gordon- 11 points, 3 rebounds, 5/8FG, 1/2 3pt
Ben Gordon- 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1/8 FG




I was impressed with the way the Pelicans played especially Anthony Davis with having 17 rebounds and 9 blocks, to go along with his 26 points. This game so far proves to me that pairing Omer Asik and Anthony Davis in the post is a deadly combination, because between Davis and Asik they had 14 blocks combined.  Ryan Anderson was huge and impressed me.  I think that if the Pelicans can remain healthy, they are grabbing that 8th seed in the Western Conference.  I admit the Southwest Division is tough which leads me to the possibly that maybe all 5 teams could make the playoffs.


My thoughts on the Orlando Magic are this,  I think that Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic prove why they belong on this team.  Vucevic impressed me with his 15 points, 23 rebounds and 4 blocks.  Tobias Harris played great.  I even liked the production from Aaron Gordon in 28 minutes of action.  Ben Gordon has got to get better.  You can't be shooting 1 for 8 every night and expect to get playing time.  I doubt Ben Gordon will be like he was for the Bulls, although I'd like to see him play that good again.  Evan Fournier should stick to launching three's because he shot better from three than two.  Fournier shot 1 of 7 from two point land.  I know it's only the first game of the season, but the Magic must stepped up and improve their play. I have the feeling that coach Jacque Vaughn will be fired, unless their is a plan to stink up the joint to get a top draft pick.  So what are your thoughts about this game?  Send me your thoughts about this game. Thank you for reading Pro Basketball Hoops Land. The place where you can read articles, send comments and purchase pro basketball merchandise from your favorite team.