NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis isnt saying if he feels snubbed by being left off the All-Star roster. Chris Bassitt Athletics Jersey . Hes making his statement on the court. Davis continued his torrid play by scoring 24 points and grabbing eight rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to an 88-79 victory over Chicago on Saturday night. He also blocked six shots, bringing his total to 21 in his past three games. For the third consecutive game he scored at least 22 points and blocked six shots. The Pelicans said he is the first player to do that since November 1990, when Patrick Ewing did it in four consecutive games for the New York Knicks. "Im not trying to prove anything," said Davis, who set a franchise record with at least four blocked shots in six consecutive games. "Everybody knows what I can do and what Im capable of. Stuff happens and I cant control that." Davis punctuated his performance with a monster jam early in the third quarter, an effort worthy of the Slam Dunk Contest that will be held as part of All-Star weekend in New Orleans. He played Saturday nursing a finger injury that kept him out of one game. While Davis didnt want to address the All-Star game snub, Pelicans coach Monty Williams wasnt so reluctant. "You want to be recognized as one of the best," Williams said. "When you play as well as he has, he can say what he wants. He wants it. We all know he deserves it." Tyreke Evans added 11 points for the Pelicans, who have won four of their past five. D.J. Augustin led the Bulls with 23 points in his return to his hometown. He was 8 of 17 from the field and handed out seven assists. Taj Gibson added 17 points and Joakim Noah had 14 points and 16 rebounds for Chicago. Noah has 10 or more rebounds in 18 straight games, the longest streak of his career. Carlos Boozer was held to four points, tying his lowest point total of the year. He had scored in double figures in his past 12 games. "I think (family and friends in attendance) will be happy for me, but Im not happy that we didnt get the win," said Augustin, who attended a local high school until Hurricane Katrina forced him to finish his senior year in Texas. "Im just going to be happy to see them and give them a hug and a kiss." Davis dominance effectively shut down the middle for the cold-shooting Bulls, forcing them to rely on their outside offensive and creating fast-break opportunities for the Pelicans. Chicago shot 38.6 per cent from the field, making 27 of 70 attempts. The Bulls were 3 of 16 on 3-point attempts and 22 of 33 on free throw attempts. They also committed 17 turnovers. "We were coming from behind most of the time," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We got away from the basket in the missed free throws and we just turned the ball over. " The Pelicans dominated in the paint, outscoring the Bulls 50-34. New Orleans led 50-39 at the half and 71-57 after three quarters. The Pelicans led by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter and maintained a double-digit lead until the final minute. The Bulls were held to 18 points in each of the second and third quarters. "We went out there and played really tough," Pelicans centre Jeff Withey said. "Theyre a great team and theyre physical. We matched their physicality. We just made it really hard to score." The Pelicans raced to a 50-39 halftime lead behind Davis nine points and three rebounds. Augustin scored 17 points in the half on 5-of-8 shooting, but as a team Chicago was 12 of 31, including 2 of 7 on 3-pointers. The Pelicans outscored Chicago 10-2 on fast-break points and 26-12 in the paint. The Pelicans took control in the opening minutes of the second quarter, going on a 12-2 run to take a 35-23 lead with 7:20 remaining. At one point Chicago committed three of its seven first-half turnovers on consecutive possessions, which New Orleans turned into seven unanswered points. The Pelicans led by 13 on three occasions. Eric Gordon scored the Pelicans first seven points but failed to score the rest of the half and finished with nine points on 4-of-15 shooting. NOTES: Players wore red-and-white warm-up shirts in honour of Black History Month, which is celebrated during February. ... Davis ended January with 51 blocks, more than three teams had combined. Davis sat out the Pelicans last game with a finger injury. ... The Pelicans blocked 14 shots and have blocked at least 10 shots in three of their past four games. Athletics Jerseys 2020 . Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games in overtime, wasting a chance to take a commanding lead in their division. Athletics Jerseys China . Case in point: LeBron James vs. Ben McLemore. James was driving to the rim in the first quarter and McLemore decided to try to take the charge, which was quite admirable and predictably futile. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest.Michael Sam will face a daunting set of challenges that most rookies dont have to deal with when making the already formidable jump from college to the NFL. The SECs co-defensive player of the year is about to find out if Americas most popular sport, rooted in machismo and entrenched in locker room hijinks, is ready for its first openly gay player. First, hell have to find a team willing to put up with the media circus that will surround him. Then, hell have to find acceptance like he did at Missouri, where his sexuality was a non-issue during a 12-2 season. Only now, hell face opponents and their fans who know hes gay. He might even face cheap shots and teammates hesitant to shower alongside him or undress in his presence. While several teams and coaches said Monday that Sams sexual orientation wouldnt affect his draft status, former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, who contends his championing of gay rights led to his release from the Minnesota Vikings last year, wasnt so sure. "The majority of players will be supportive of Michael Sam or just wont care," Kluwe said. "Youll have isolated guys here and there who might try to make a fuss about it, but players by and large are very much, Hey, were here to do a job, were here to go out and play football. "In terms of the coaching/front office side, I think theres where issues are going to arise because they are going to look at this like, Hey, is this going to cause a distraction for the team? And by distraction, they mean, Were not really OK with having a gay player on our team, we cant come out and say that, so were going to use the word distraction," Kluwe added. "And unfortunately, those are the people who determine if youre employed or not." John Elway has a unique perspective running the Broncos front office now after a Hall of Fame playing career, and he said Monday hed have no problem drafting Sam. "We will evaluate Michael just like any other draft prospect: on the basis of his ability, character and NFL potential. His announcement will have no effect on how we see him as a football player," Elway said. "Having spent 16 years in an NFL locker room, the bottom line is that its about treating others with respect and earning that respect. By all indications, it appears Michael has done just that throughout his football career." Several coaches saaid if a player is accountable and a winner, being gay is a non-issue. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys. "If anybody can come in and help us win games and be successful -- black, white, yellow, straight, gay -- I dont think it matters," said new Green Bay quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. Before Sam revealed his sexual orientation, the pass-rusher was projected as a mid-round draft pick. Kluwe said reports that Sams draft stock could drop because he revealed his sexual orientation "basically could have been lifted from any American sporting paper in the 1940s when Jackie Robinson was about to enter Major League Baseball. Its like weve been here before. Why do we have to keep doing the same thing?" Sam will likely face even more scrutiny from opponents fans than Chargers linebacker Manti Teo did after getting fooled by a hoax involving a fake girlfriend while at Notre Dame. What will help Sam is landing on a team with strong veteran leadership, something that was lacking in Miami, where tackle Jonathan Martin walked away at midseason, alleging guard Richie Incognito led daily harassment with racial, aggressive and sexually charged comments. Incognito was suspended for the final eight games and Martins career was thrown in limbo. Former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley said Sams performance on the field and as a teammate should quickly overshadow any stereotypes about sexual orientation. "I dont think he faces any challenges as a player. I dont think he faces a lot of challenges as a person," Cooley said. "I think once he establishes himself as the kind of teammate hes going to be, I think everybody will accept it fine." Eagles All-Pro guard Evan Mathis said Sam will face obstacles no matter what. "NFL players shouldnt judge Michael Sam based on his sexuality but some guys will. MLB players shouldnt have judged Jackie Robinson based on his skin colour but some did," Mathis said. "Whether or not the NFL is ready for it, it needs to happen. There are still people on this Earth who lived through the prohibition of alcohol and the Civil Rights movement. They can look back and reflect on how primitive those times were. "Current generations will look back at marijuana prohibition and gays having to fight for equal rights and think how primitive those times were." ' ' '