Tonight the Sixers will head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. The Pelicans were actually the last team that lost to the Sixers back on January 16th, when the Sixers won 96-81. Tonight may be a different story though, as Anthony Davis will be in the lineup this time around. Last time these two teams met Davis and Holiday were both sidelined with injuries. We will still be missing Holiday tonight, but we will get that long awaited battle between Nerlens Noel and Anthony Davis.
Even though this may be the only reason to watch this game, it sure is a good one. Nerlens has displayed a knack for the defensive side of the ball in his first few months. Davis doesn’t do a bad job himself as he is putting up MVP numbers averaging 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks a game. Davis has truly blossomed into a franchise stud who has lived up to his number one pick status in 2012. It is worth mentioning that Nerlens was Davis’ heir apparent at Kentucky, who probably would have been the number one overall pick of his class had it not been for a torn ACL that derailed his season.
This ultimately ended up being a blessing in disguise for the Sixers though, as they ended up picking him at 6th overall. This is probably the move that started it all in terms of the rebuild as Jrue Holiday was shipped to the Pelicans. And the rest is history. Its still hard to tell if Noel will one day become the player Davis is today. Its not only scary how good Davis is, but it's even scarier how fast he developed.
Tonight’s game will also be missing MCW who has been listed inactive with an illness. Larry Drew II will draw the start in his place after signing his second ten-day contract.
Here’s how the starting lineups look:
Pelicans (23-21):
PG:Tyreke Evans
SG:Eric Gordon
SF:Dante Cunningham
PF:Anthony Davis
C:Omer Asik
Sixers (8-36):
PG:Larry Drew II
SG:Robert Covington
SF:Luc Mbah A Moute
PF:Nerlens Noel
C:Henry Sims
Inactives: Pelicans: PG Jrue Holiday Sixers: PG Michael Carter-Williams, G Tony Wroten
