UK basketball favorites John Wall, Anthony Davis and Darius Miller received a warm welcome when the former Wildcats returned to Rupp Arena on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Davis and Miller, who now play for the New Orleans Pelicans, took on Wall who plays for the Washington Wizards in a preseason game.
Miller sat out of the game because of a left foot injury but Davis had 15 points and four rebounds in the Pelicans win. The win for Davis wasn’t just a homecoming but another test of how the Pelicans would perform away from New Orleans Arena. Last season, the Pelicans dropped 33 of their 47 away games and are looking to improve that this season.
“We kind of struggled last year on the road, so winning some games not in our atmosphere is going to be great,” Davis said. “It’s been great for us right now learning how to win on the road in crucial situations. It’s going to benefit us, but at the same time you still want to play on your own floor.”
New Orleans is 6-0 in the preseason after beating the Wizards 93-89. The Pelicans will return home Wednesday, Oct. 23, after a six-game stretch to take on Miami.
Wall had who had a double-double in the loss, scored 16 points and had 11 assists. The Wizards have struggled in the preseason losing four of their five games.
The loss didn’t take away from the feeling that Wall had returning to the Rupp Arena court in front of almost 15,000 fans.
“It’s just exciting,” Wall said. “It was a great turnout for having an NBA game and having the opportunity to come back and play with my teammates.”
Wall and the Wizards will head to Detroit to play the Pistons on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
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