Pelicans' Anthony Davis forced from action with right shoulder injury
Pelicans forward Anthony Davis was forced from action during a 105-91 win against the Heat on Saturday when he re-aggravated a right shoulder injury he first sustained prior to the All-Star break. An MRI on Sunday morning confirmed the initial diagnosis of a shoulder sprain, the Pelicans announced. Davis is expected to miss 1-2 weeks. Forward Ryan Anderson suffered a right MCL sprain in the second quarter against the Heat and is expected to be out 2-4 weeks.
With a little more than three minutes remaining in the first quarter and New Orleans leading 15-8, Davis powered into a shot in the paint, only to run directly into Heat center Hassan Whiteside. Davis immediately began clutching his right shoulder in pain and he departed for the locker room shortly thereafter. He left with six points (on 2-for-8 shooting) and six rebounds in nine minutes. The Pelicans ruled him out for the rest of the game during the second quarter.
Davis, 21, first injured his shoulder during a hard fall against the Bulls two weeks ago. The 2012 No. 1 overall pick crashed hard to the court when his fingers slipped off the rim during a dunk attempt. The injury sidelined Davis for two games and last Sunday's All-Star Game. He made his return on Friday in a loss to the Magic.
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New Orleans improved to 28-27 while Miami fell to 23-31. Davis entered Sunday averaging a career-high 24.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks this season, making him one of the league's top MVP candidates.
