Pelicans’ Davis hurt in blowout loss to Bulls

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS

Anthony Davis stood in a hallway outside the Pelicans’ and Bulls’ locker rooms, wearing a gray sweatsuit and smiling as he engaged Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau in a good-natured postgame chat.

After a hard, awkward fall on an alley-oop dunk had sidelined Davis with a sore right shoulder, the All-Star’s demeanor could be seen as an encouraging sign for New Orleans — and the NBA. The dangling, empty right sleeve of Davis’ sweatshirt — the result of his arm being tucked in a sling — was more worrisome.

Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose helped Bulls break open a close contest following Davis’ departure from the game, and the Bulls cruised to a 107-72 victory Saturday night.

“Anthony’s a player that makes a big difference, so it was a tough hit for them to take,” said Gasol, whose 20 points and 15 rebounds helped Chicago snap a three-game skid. “We knew that we just had to stay at it and be aggressive on both ends of the floor and that’s what we did.”

Derrick Rose added 20 points for the Bulls, who went on a 40-11 run after Davis went out.

Pelicans coach Monty Williams said the extent of Davis’ injury may not be known until Sunday, when he was expected to be examined further. The Pelicans play at home on Monday and Wednesday nights before the All-Star break.

“He says he’s a bit sore right now. He couldn’t move his arm the way he needed to, so we got him out,” Williams said. “He kept saying he was OK ... but the doctors didn’t feel good about getting him back out, so we’ve got to get more evaluation and we’ll have a better update” today.