NBA scores 2018: DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis still need help

DeMarcus Cousins turned in a night for the ages. Anthony Davis wasn’t half bad either. Still, the playoff-bound New Orleans Pelicans needed two overtimes to take down a scrappy, yet bottom-feeding Chicago Bulls team on Monday night.

Cousins turned in one of just 10 40-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist games in NBA history. It’s such a rare stat line that according to ESPN Stats & Info, Wilt Chamberlain was the last to do it. Boogie finished with exactly 44 points, 24 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. Cousins also made five threes on Monday night. The only other players in NBA history to make five threes and grab at least 20 rebounds in a single game are Bill Laimbeer and Raef LaFrentz.

As dominant as Cousins was, the Pelicans still needed two extra periods to defeat one of the East’s lesser teams. New Orleans blew a 13-point, first-half lead and trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter.

Cousins and Davis combined for 78 points, 33 rebounds, and 15 assists. It was barely enough.

The Pelicans came away with the victory, but their problems are bigger than the win-loss column. They have the two best big men in the NBA, and they’re barely getting by.

What is going on with the Wizards?

Here I present to you two valuable pieces of information. Exhibit A:

And Exhibit B:

So to recap: The Wizards — a 26-21 team — got thrashed by a 16-31 team and saw none of their starters shoot better than 28.6 percent. Are you kidding me?

The Wizards are one of the most puzzling teams in the NBA, and their loss to a pretty mediocre Dallas Mavericks team embodied their struggles. Washington has two legitimate All-Stars in John Wall and Bradley Beal. There’s no way on Earth they should lose to a team whose best players are Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews, 39-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, and rookie Dennis Smith Jr.

Washington needs to figure things out. Otherwise, it’s just wasting another season away.

Other things that happened

How did the Clippers lose to the Timberwolves? A damn double dribble:

More on that egregious error here.

Rick Carlisle super trolled Salah Mejri

• The Bucks fired head coach Jason Kidd, and Giannis Antetokounmpo offered to help him save his job.
• The Cavaliers questioned Kevin Love’s illness vs. the Thunder.
• Kevin Durant doesn’t think Clint Capela is qualified to talk about the Warriors.
• Damian Lillard had a sit-down with Trail Blazers’ owner Paul Allen (breathe easy).

Happy Tuesday!

Monday’s NBA scores

Hornets 112, Kings 107

Hawks 104, Jazz 90

Rockets 99, Heat 90

Grizzlies 105, 76ers 101

Bucks 109, Suns 105

Pelicans 132, Bulls 128 2OT

Mavericks 98, Wizards 75

Nuggets 104, Trail Blazers 101

Timberwolves 126, Clippers 118

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Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are twin towers for a modern NBA