Anthony Davis has been one of the best players in the NBA over the past three seasons but he would like to add to his game by becoming a better ball-handler and passer.

"I watch LeBron [James], Steph [Curry], all those guys make their teammates better," Davis said. "They find them. Even Draymond [Green]. He plays the same position and does the same thing, and he's able to find his teammates in a way that I can't right now. That's definitely what I want to get better at."

Davis' assist rate is at 11.5 percent this season, up from 15-16 when he posted a mark of 9.9.

Anthony Davis has heard criticism of his supporting cast with the New Orleans Pelicans but disagrees.

The Pelicans, who rank 12th in the West at 6-12, started the season 0-8. 

"I hear it. I see it. I'm on social media, so I see it all the time," Davis said. "But I think, for me, it's just about the guys in that locker room. I know they come out here every day in practice and every night in the game and fight and leave everything on the floor. It's nothing that I try to pay attention to as much. But you see it. You have to pay attention to it.

"For me, that's not my M.O. to get into all the media and all that stuff. I just worry about what's going on in that locker room and on the floor with the guys I have in the locker room."

Davis admitted he was worried about the Pelicans' early season struggles.

"We were very worried," Davis said. "We didn't envision ourselves being in that situation. But we dug ourselves a hole. We're slowly climbing out of it, and we just have to keep fighting. Nobody wants to start 0-8. Nobody wants to start off on the wrong foot. But it happens.

"Some teams have whoever on their team where they're able to do whatever they want on the floor. For us, we have to be blue-collar guys who are coming in, work, being scrappy, first to the floor, rebounding the ball, sharing the ball. That's how we have to be. That's how we've been the past couple weeks, and that's how we've been able to get wins."

The New Orleans Pelicans have recalled rookie forward Cheick Diallo from the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League.

Diallo, 6-9, 220, has appeared in six games with Austin, averaging 14.3 points on .553 shooting from the floor, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Diallo recorded two 20-point games, one double-double and three games with four blocks.

Diallo was originally selected by the L.A. Clippers with the 33rd overall pick out of the University of Kansas in the 2016 NBA Draft. Diallo has appeared in one regular season game for New Orleans, logging one rebound and one block in six minutes of action.

Dante Cunningham will miss the next four to six weeks with a fractured right fibula.

Cunningham suffered the injury -- a nondisplaced proximal fibula fracture -- in the second quarter of the Pelicans' 117-96 victory Wednesday over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Cunningham is averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15 games, including 10 starts, this season. 

Anthony Davis suffered a contusion above his right kneecap after he banged his knee on a seat while diving for a loose ball into the stands.

Davis ultimately returned in the fourth quarter, after X-rays taken on the knee were negative.

"It is scary because you never know what's going to happen," Davis said. "The way I play, I just leave it out on the floor, so I can't control myself when that stuff happens. It's just instinctive. I just go out there and play as hard as I can. If it happened again tomorrow, I'd probably do it again, to be honest."

Following the X-rays, the Pelicans' medical staff performed treatment on the knee in an effort to get Davis back on the court.

Davis showed no ill effects when he returned, scoring seven points in 10 minutes in the fourth quarter. 

The New Orleans Pelicans have been plagued by injuries and an insufficient supporting cast but Anthony Davis has remained loyal to the franchise.

“My desire to win here is the same,” Davis told The Vertical. “I go out there and play. I don’t care what the record is. I just go out there and play. I have to lead this team and make sure my guys are always happy and high energy. I don’t care what people say about our team. They’re not in our locker room seeing us, not part of our group. That’s all white noise.

“I just try to control what I can: go out there and compete.”

Davis was asked if his aspirations to win with the Pelicans has wavered amid the team's poor results and injuries.

“No, no, never,” Davis told The Vertical.

Davis is averaging 31.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and three blocks as he continues to perform as one of the NBA's best players.

“Injuries happen, and there’s nothing I can do about it,” Davis said. “I just wanted to get my body right to be able to play all 82 [games] this year and then play the postseason. I know how important it is to take care of my body and stay on the floor as much as possible.

“I know this team and what people say is noise. We just want to compete and get wins.”

Davis has a player option in his deal where he can become a free agent in the 2020 offseason.

The Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 20.

Butler helped the Bulls to a 3-1 week, with all victories coming on the road, by averaging 27.3 points (second in the East), 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He began the week with back-to-back double-doubles, finishing with 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 113-88 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 15 and recording 20 points and 12 rebounds in an 85-77 victory over the Utah Jazz on Nov. 17. In his final game of the week, Butler scored a season-high 40 points and added seven rebounds and six assists in a 118-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 20.

The Pelicans went 3-0 last week in games Davis played (3-1 overall) as he averaged a league-high 33.7 points, led the West with 13.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks, and added 2.0 steals.

The New Orleans Pelicans are close to signing Anthony Brown from the D-League.

Brown appeared in 29 games last season for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 4.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 20.6 minutes per game.

Brown has averaged 29.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists over his first three games of the 16-17 D-League season.

Brown was a high second round pick by the Lakers out of Stanford in 2015.

The New Orleans Pelicans have waived Archie Goodwin.

Originally signed by New Orleans on Nov. 7, Goodwin, 6-5, 205, appeared in three games for the Pelicans, averaging 5.0 points in 10.0 minutes per contest.

Goodwin was signed to give the Pelicans depth in the backcourt before Jrue Holiday returned.

Jrue Holiday is "excited" to play his first game of the season on Friday after the birth of his first child and his wife's subsequent surgery to remove a benign tumor from the right side of her brain.

Holiday was on family leave until his wife's recovery was far enough along that both felt comfortable with his return to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Holiday was asked why he's returning now.

"Because my wife said I could," said Holiday.

"It was really just to see where my wife was in her recovery. And since she's doing so well, and since my daughter's getting bigger, and since my family and her family are there to help her out with anything ... I just feel comfortable being back and being able to leave them, if it's on a road trip or whatever it is.

"As hard as it is, again, I'm really excited."

The Holidays found out about Lauren's condition this summer. They relocated to the Raleigh, North Carolina, area, near the Duke University medical specialists who handled the surgery.

Holiday said the Pelicans, from whom he has received constant communication and support, have been open to his taking a day off should he need it.

"I'm so excited," Holiday said of his season debut. "At the end of it my teammates are always there for me. My teammates and the Pelicans were always there. To come back and fight for them like they supported me, I'm happy to do it."