New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis had a career night on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons, scoring 59 points while hauling in 20 rebounds. It wasn’t just a personal best for Davis, either; not only did he set a franchise record (dating back to the Hornets days) with his performance, he became just the third player since the 1963-64 season (also known as the Wilt season) to have at least 50 points and 20 rebounds in a single game.
Just as impressive as the raw numbers was how Davis scored, which was in every way imaginable. The diversity in Davis’ game made him unstoppable. However, for every memorable career performance, there is a massive failure on the other end. Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy took responsibility for the 111-106 loss by accounting for “terrible coaching.”
“That one’s on me,” Van Gundy said, courtesy of The Detroit News. “You’ve got to come up with something. A guy can’t get 59. That’s terrible coaching. Terrible.”
Van Gundy’s right to take the blame. That’s part of the gig. Sure, there’s almost always something that can be done to slow down a hot hand, and there were times where Davis would be inexplicably open or drive to the hoop without a hint of defense. That said, there were also moments when even the best defenses couldn’t slow down his jumper. Davis was feeling it, and by his own admission afterward, said, “After a while, you feel like any shot you put up is going to go in.”
It was one of those nights.
What hurts Van Gundy more is what Davis’ performance means in context. There have been an increasingly long list of frustrating moments for the Pistons, who have now lost five in a row and eight of their last 10.
