LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Anthony Davis scored 45 points as the New Orleans Pelicans jolted the Boston Celtics, 116-113, in an overtime thriller at the TD Garden on Tuesday.
Davis, who before the game had brushed off reports linking him to a move to Boston, gave the home fans a glimpse of what they might be missing as he turned in a virtuoso performance.
The 24-year-old power forward showed sensational form, also chipping in with 16 rebounds and two assists, as the Pelicans improved to 23-20 to rise to sixth place in the Western Conference standings.
It was the third consecutive 40-point game for Davis, who scored 48 against the New York Knicks on Sunday and 41 against Portland on Friday.
Davis was backed with 23 points from Jrue Holiday while DeMarcus Cousins added 19. Ian Clark added 15 from the bench as the Pelicans held their nerve in overtime to close out the win.
The Celtics meanwhile remain firmly in charge at the top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference at 34-11, but they saw a seven-game winning streak snapped with the loss.
Kyrie Irving led the scoring for Boston with 27 points but the Celtics were left ruing an inability to close out the win after leading 101-96 with two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Davis had provided the inspiration for New Orleans, producing two clutch free throws to put New Orleans 104-102 ahead as the buzzer ticked closer.
But Irving conjured a driving layup with 11.8 seconds to force overtime at 104-104.
Marcus Smart made a 10-foot pullup jumper to help Boston take a 113-110 lead with just over two minutes left in overtime. But Cousins hit back with a two-pointer before Holiday made it 114-113.