Anthony Davis returns to lineup to lead Pelicans over Jazz

Anthony Davis returned to the New Orleans Pelicans lineup Tuesday with a vengeance.

The Pelicans' superstar, who missed one game with a chest contusion, erupted for a game-high 31 points to power New Orleans to a 119-111 win over the Utah Jazz. 

Davis was efficient, connecting on 12-of-15 shots from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, while adding nine rebounds and three blocks. He showed no signs of any lingering effects from the injury that forced him out of Friday's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers after seven minutes. 

The 21-year-old power forward, who wore a protective flak jacket, spoke prior to the game about how frightening the incident was. 

"It's scary when you go through something like that and you're not really sure how it happened," Davis said, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press. "I couldn't really breathe and I had a sharp pain in my chest, so I was trying to see what was going on. It was an unusual pain I never had before and it was very uncomfortable."

Davis, an early favorite for MVP, entered Tuesday averaging 24.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.