New Orleans Pelicans All-Star power forward Anthony Davis was experiencing soreness in his left ankle during warmups Friday night. Despite the pain, Davis started Friday night against the Utah Jazz. After the tip, it took only 3:43 for Pelicans coach Monty Williams to check Davis out of the game, as the pain became too much for him to handle. He didn't return.

Once Davis left the floor, the Pelicans were officially without the services of 6 of their top 7 scorers (Davis, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday, Jason Smith, Brian Roberts) due to various injuries. The scrappy Pelicans (32-40) showed their grit, overcoming the loss of Davis to extend their season best winning streak to 5, topping the Utah Jazz 102-95.

"I still don't know how it happened," Williams said of Davis' injury. "I know he had pain in his ankle or foot, so I got him out of the game....It was tough not having him, but we have to wait and see what happens with the medical stuff."

Davis was seen walking on crutches after the win. He suffered a stress reaction to his left ankle during his rookie season last year, causing him to miss 11 games.

With Davis out, Tyreke Evans stepped up with a career-game. Playing primarily at point guard, Evans finished with a team-high 22 points and a career-high 15 assists, adding 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block for good measure. He was most effective when pushing the pace and attacking Utah's slow transition defense.

“Tyreke is doing a good job of finding guys at the basket or (Anthony) Morrow at the wing," said Williams. "He is so big that he can see over the other guards and that gives him the ability to find guys and he is always a threat to score at the basket so that helps.”

Morrow continued his impressive play as of late, scoring 20 points in 34 minutes of action. Darius Miller and Austin Rivers each added 12 off the bench.

It's unknown whether Davis will be available Saturday night at San Antonio. Regardless of his status, the Pelicans will be short-handed against one of the league's best teams. They'll try to extend their winning streak to 6. Tip-off is set for 7:30.

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