Anthony Davis
IN PHOTO: Feb 2, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) dunks over Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) and guard Kent Bazemore (24) and forward Paul Millsap (4) during the third quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Hawks 115-100. REUTERS/Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Pelicans franchise player Anthony Davis landed on his shoulder hard in the game against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday but X-rays came back negative and was diagnosed with a right shoulder contusion.

The Pelicans lost big to the Bulls, 107-72 but the good news is that it appears Davis won’t be missing too many games because of the injury. Davis returned to the game briefly after the fall but played just 13 minutes. He finished with 8 points on 4-of-11 field goal shooting and added 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.

Davis got injured after making an alley-oop dunk in the second quarter of the game against the Bulls. Davis will be re-evaluated on Sunday and Pelicans head coach Monty Williams said they can only update the status of Davis after the follow-up check-ups.

"He says he's a bit sore right now. He couldn't move his arm the way he needed to, so we got him out," Williams said via ESPN.com. "He kept saying he was OK ... but the doctors didn't feel good about getting him back out, so we've got to get more evaluation and we'll have a better update (Sunday).”

Davis will be sorely missed by the Pelicans in the next few games especially with West rival Oklahoma City Thunder trying to steal the no. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Davis averages 24.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.8 blocked shots in 45 games for the Pelicans this season and has helped them to a 27-24 win-loss record. The Thunder, featuring Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, are at 25-25 or just 1 and a half games behind the Pelicans.

The Pelicans, which ranks ninth in the league in rebounds per game at 44.4 RPG, are just 3-3 in their last six games. The good news for the Pelicans is that they can afford to rest Davis and his injury in the games leading up to the NBA All-Star break. The Pelicans face the Utah Jazz on Monday before taking on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in two home games before the mid-season showcase.

To contact author of this article, email j.quizon@IBTimes.com.au

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