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Anthony Davis asked to play Friday but now aiming for Monday return

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

If Anthony Davis had his way, he would have been suited up alongside his New Orleans Pelicans teammates as they hosted the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

Davis was ultimately ruled out due to his grade 1 left adductor strain, and his teammates upset the Clippers without him and point guard Jrue Holiday - a major statement win as the team claws for a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference. Davis sitting out required head coach Monty Williams putting his foot down, as the emerging superstar tried to talk his way into the lineup.

As Williams explained after the game:

I talked to him yesterday and I said, 'If you don't look close to yourself, I'm not going to let you play.' And he said, 'No, Coach, I'm good,' and I said, 'Dude, look, it's not going to happen.' It's not what we need. I would never put anybody out there that's not close to themselves. It doesn't help them and it doesn't say a lot about our program.

Williams said that he won't play Davis until he looks completely like himself, and both player and coach are turning their attention to Monday's road game against the red-hot Atlanta Hawks.

Winning without Davis was a surprise considering the Pelicans have been 13.6 points per-100 possessions better with him on the floor this season, but they're surprisingly 2-2 when Davis sat this year. With him back in the lineup, they can conceivably hang with any team in the league, aided by Davis' ridiculous line of 24.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and a league-high 2.9 blocks, all while shooting 55.5 percent and posting the league's best player efficiency rating at 31.8.

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