Anthony Davis of the Pelicans knows that everything is on him

But this time, the strike was pushed too far and the edge farthest from him. His night was pretty much the same, mainly because of his return to the fold after missing the previous two games with a sprained right elbow.

For most players, a stats line of 17 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and one block is a career night. But for Davis, who had 6 points out of 16 in the match with a 10-point loss against the defending champions, this is simply considered insufficient and this responsibility is under immense pressure.

"Of course, I know that to win matches, a lot of pressure is going to be exerted on me," Davis told Yahoo Sports sitting in his booth Wednesday night. "If we lose, it's mine. If we win, they give credit to my team and it suits me.

"A perfect example [was against the Warriors]. I do not have a good game and we lose. So, I have to play almost every night in a perfect way to give us a chance to win. But my teammates are doing a great job. Even the games I have not played, these guys fight night after night to win. … I'm not trying to put too much pressure on myself, but I know it's there. "

The versatile 6-foot-11 star leads his team to points (25.2), rebounds (13), flights (two), blocks (3.2) and minutes (37). After starting the season 4-0, New Orleans lost their last four games and Davis was sidelined for three of them. She missed the 132-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.

While the only star player in a team filled with fierce competitors such as Jrue Holiday, Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic, the Pelicans will go as far as Davis takes them.

"Life is not fair," Davis said with a smirk at Yahoo Sports. "We can not control what happens in the league. I go out and play. I can not do anything. That's what it is at this point. I just have to go out and trust my teammates, which I do. These guys are good players, good defenders, good actors. They do everything possible to help me.

But more than anything, Davis just wants to win.

That's why rival NBA rulers believe that Davis could be at stake for a large market organization long before he's supposed to terminate his contract in 2020. He's eligible for a super-max expansion with the Pelicans in July. 2019, this represents $ 235 million over five years.

If Davis were to pass such a massive contract, as some executives would like, the franchise would be forced to consider exchanging its cornerstone. Nevertheless, Davis said he would be worried about contractual issues this summer.

"I really do not listen [the noise] to be honest, "he told Yahoo Sports. "I hear it from everywhere, from social media to people around you. But my biggest thing is to focus on basketball. That's all I can do. I can not do anything other than play basketball to the best of my ability to help my team. … We have a goal and win a championship. My job is to help them achieve that goal. "

In addition, he says his pending future is not a distraction in the locker room.

"No, my team does not care. They cherish the moments that they have with me, "he told Yahoo Sports. "Every day we try to do the work to be a great team. They hear it, I hear it. Everyone hears it. It's hard not to. But we are focused on what we need to do this year. We try to beat teams like the Warriors and get to where they are. This is our goal. That's all. "

Speculation is not expected to subside, Davis recently hired Rich Paul of Klutch Sports – the same agent representing LeBron James – to represent him. In the summer, the Lakers will be extremely aggressive in their quest for high-caliber stars to pair with James in the free agent and trade markets.

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