SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr cut his right hand during Wednesday night's 104-90 win over the Chicago Bulls after breaking a clipboard in frustration. Kerr made light of the situation after the game, as he wore a bandage on his hand while speaking to reporters.

"It's a mere flesh wound," Kerr said. "I broke a clipboard. It's one of two. I'm allotted two [broken clipboards] a year. This was number one. It always cuts [my hand] in the same place. This was a little deeper one. I was a little more upset."

This is not the first time Kerr has broken a clipboard, but this particular incident came early in the fourth quarter as the Warriors were trying to close out the game.

"We just had a stretch there where we were very careless," Kerr said. "Particularly in transition defense. And we let them sneak behind us. Those are cardinal sins. We're 3-15 coming into the game, so every play matters, every possession matters and you got to fight for everything, and I thought our guys did a great job of that down the stretch and deserved to feel good about the game and I'm really happy for them."

Kerr's intensity was appreciated by his players in the huddle.

"I love it," Warriors rookie Eric Paschall said. "A coach like that cares. He wants to win. And Coach Kerr as a player, he's been through it all. He's a winner himself so he wants to win. He wants to change everything so I feel like we responded correctly tonight and played well together ... you respond to that. Having a coach that cares so much about his team and how we're playing, that means a lot for players just because he cares."

Kerr's clipboard break was a hot topic of conversation in the Warriors locker room.

"He f---ed his hand up pretty bad," forward Draymond Green said. "There was blood all over his pants. And then he got a new clipboard. There was blood all over that clipboard, too. He got a rise out of the team, though, we turned the game back around."

Warriors big man Omari Spellman said he didn't even see Kerr snap the clipboard, but he saw the aftermath.

"I saw him leaking [blood]," Spellman said. "I was like, 'Yo, why is he bleeding?' He was like animated, but he just kept going like blood on the clipboard. I'm like, 'We're in the heat of the moment, I ain't going to talk about it.' But I was completely confused."

The Warriors closed out the Bulls to earn their fourth win of the season. Green says he believes Kerr's outburst gave the group a lift.

"I think we needed it," Green said. "We always talk about just not get comfortable with losing. We've seen this movie a couple times where we're playing well, we get the lead, and then we lose it and lose the game so I think that came at a great time for us and you got to give our guys credit. Everybody responded, which was important."

Kerr says he believes his hand will be fine heading into the Warriors five-game trip that starts in Miami on Friday.

"I'm day to day at this point," Kerr said with a smile. "No stitches yet, but we'll see [Thursday]. There was blood on the clipboard. Maybe that should be the headline for your story."

VENTURA, Calif. – Jesse Colwell was the fastest man in town during practice for the 79th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix on Wednesday at Ventura Raceway.

Colwell, who made his USAC debut a year ago at Turkey Night just weeks after earning a ride with Keith Kunz through the KKM Giveback Classic, toured the fifth-mile beachside oval in 12.912 seconds (55.762 mph) to lead 59 cars that attempted a lap on Wednesday night.

USAC Western States Midget Series point leader Robert Dalby was second-quick at 12.919 seconds (55.732 mph), followed by outgoing series champion Logan Seavey in third.

NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson – who has won the last two USAC National Midget Series events at Placerville Speedway and Bakersfield Speedway, respectively – and Jason McDougal completed the fast five.

Jerry Coons Jr. was sixth, ahead of Aaron Reutzel, Dillon Welch, event rookie Carson Sousa and Rico Abreu.

Thursday’s schedule is intended to kick off with on-track activity at 3:15 p.m. PT, however rain is in the forecast and a contingency plan of running the entire program on Friday is in play if necessary.

PRACTICE RESULTS: NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series; Ventura Raceway; Nov. 27, 2019

Practice (best of three sessions): 1. Jesse Colwell, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.912; 2. Robert Dalby, 4D, Dalby-12.919; 3. Logan Seavey, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.933; 4. Kyle Larson, 1K, Larson-12.994; 5. Jason McDougal, 71m, FMR-13.067; 6. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry-13.115; 7. Aaron Reutzel, 87, Tucker/Boat-13.141; 8. Dillon Welch, 81, Tucker/Boat-13.142; 9. Carson Sousa, 01, Dalby-13.163; 10. Rico Abreu, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.176; 11. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, RMS-13.228; 12. Kaidon Brown, 97w, Wood-13.231; 13. Andrew Layser, 47BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.232; 14. Spencer Bayston, 19, Hayward-13.245; 15. Ronnie Gardner, 68, Six8-13.250; 16. Gio Scelzi, 84, Tucker/Boat-13.251; 17. Carson Macedo, 21, Tarlton-13.253; 18. Shane Golobic, 17w, Wood-13.280; 19. Damion Gardner, 4, Klatt-13.301; 20. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 5, Petry-13.312; 21. Ethan Mitchell, 08m, Dave Mac-13.318; 22. Chase Johnson, 25x, Malloy-13.323; 23. Daison Pursley, 98, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.323; 24. Justin Grant, 4A, RAMS-13.345; 25. Colby Copeland, 27w, Wood-13.363; 26. Buddy Kofoid, 97K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.377; 27. Zeb Wise, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.377; 28. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.394; 29. Ryan Bernal, 77w, Wood-13.395; 30. Chris Windom, 17BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.427; 31. Cory Elliott, 11E, Elliott-13.438; 32. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-13.454; 33. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 17JR, Clauson/Marshall-13.456; 34. Jake Bubak, 27B, Bourke-13.474; 35. Holley Hollan, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.493; 36. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.508; 37. Maria Cofer, 71s, Campbell-13.523; 38. Karsyn Elledge, 1, Tucker/Boat-13.535; 39. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-13.536; 40. Cannon McIntosh, 08, Dave Mac-13.566; 41. Brady Bacon, 73T, Ford-13.669; 42. Daniel Robinson, 57D, McCreery-13.683; 43. Kyle Beilman, 31B, Beilman-13.683; 44. Dylan Ito, 73, Ford-13.696; 45. C.J. Leary, 13, Gile-13.702; 46. Troy Rutherford, F5, Simmons-13.714; 47. Robby Josett, 73x, Ford-13.827; 48. Chris Sheil, 91, Mason-13.831; 49. Carson Garrett, 15x, Garrett-13.844; 50. Bryan Drollinger, 71D, Drollinger-13.931; 51. Chad Frewaldt, 4F, Frewaldt-13.952; 52. Emilio Hoover, 9H, Hoover-13.962; 53. Mark Chisholm, 56x, Chisholm-13.972; 54. Jake Morgan, 45, Morgan-13.977; 55. Nick Drake, 7R, Ruston-14.071; 56. Casey Hicks, 5H, Hicks-14.081; 57. Alex Grigroeas, 1x, LKK-14.084; 58. Jessie Finkenbinder, 3F, Finkenbinder-14.907; 59. David Prickett, 15DJ, Neverlift-NT.

Lunch West Indies 195 for 5 (Brooks 75*, Campbell 55, Hamza 2-59, Rashid 2-74) lead Afghanistan 187 by eight runs

Half-centuries from Shamarh Brooks and John Campbell took West Indies past Afghanistan's first-innings total of 187 in an action-packed first session on the second day of the one-off Test in Lucknow on Thursday.

At lunch, West Indies had moved to 195 for 5, with Brooks unbeaten on 75 and Shane Dowrich giving him company on 25.

On a surface that has aided spinners from day one, West Indies decided the way forward was to attack. The day started with Campbell deploying a variety of sweeps - slog, lap, reverse - to counter the left-arm spin of Amir Hamza as he took 15 from the bowler's second over of the day. He brought up his maiden Test fifty with a single to deep square-leg, courtesy a conventional sweep.

Brooks was more orthodox at the other end but no less attacking. In one Rashid over, he struck two fours and a six as West Indies went past 100. Campbell and he added 82 in just 19.1 overs before Hamza broke the stand with Campbell's wicket for 55, scored in 75 balls. But it was as much Ihsanullah's wicket too, as the slip fielder, upon seeing Campbell line up a lap sweep, moved swiftly to his right and put in the dive to pouch the ball one-handed.

Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase didn't last long after that. Hetmyer was trapped lbw by Rashid Khan and Chase fell to left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan, caught at short leg off an inside edge.

At 150 for 5, it looked like Afghanistan had clawed their way back, but their hopes were thwarted by Dowrich. Like other batsmen before him, Dowrich too started in an aggressive manner, hitting three fours in no time to move to 15 off as many balls. But it wasn't that the Afghanistan spinners didn't create any chances. Apart from a couple of loud lbw shouts, Rashid got Brooks to edge one behind but Afsar Zazai failed to latch on.

With lunch approaching, Brooks and Dowrich adopted a more defensive approach and ensured West Indies went into the break without losing further wickets.

Australia's captain Tim Paine insists that it will take an awful lot for him ever to send an opposition side into bat after twice seeing his men struggle against England when he did so at Lord's and The Oval. Perhaps this is just as well, because his talismanic No. 4 Steven Smith becomes a far more human batsman whenever he does not get the chance to bat first.

Smith has long complained of sleeping poorly during a Test match, as his brain goes into visualisation overdrive and he struggles to switch off and then nod off. But there is strong statistical evidence to suggest that Smith's fraught sleep patterns contribute to a deterioration of his performance across the four innings of a Test.

In the first innings of a Test, Smith averages a truly Bradmanesque 93.64 from 39 innings, and has scored 16 of his 26 hundreds there. In the second, this drops to 63.67 from 29 innings with six centuries, and then 51.68 from 36 innings with four centuries in the third. Worst of all is the fourth, where Smith averages just 30.68 from 21 innings and has never reached three figures.

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Put in the context of his lack of sleep across a match, this is unsurprising. Take Smith's admission after the most recent day-night Test at Adelaide Oval, the Ashes Test in late 2017, where England fought back into the game after Smith declined to enforce the follow-on as captain: "I had to have a sleeping pill last night. It has been a pretty tough 24 hours if I'm being honest, it's all part of being captain of your country, you have to make difficult decisions and sometimes you're going to make the wrong decision."

Members of the Australian set-up have recalled how drained and washed out Smith was to look in the aftermath of the Perth Test, where the Ashes were retained later in December. The following March, of course, the Newlands scandal occurred, ruling Smith out of captaincy and sleepless Test match nights for the next 12 months. Before his return to test cricket in England this year, Smith spoke again about his sleeping troubles.

"I am an awful sleeper. In Test matches, I reckon I average 15 to 20 hours throughout the whole five days," Smith told Sky Sports before the Edgbaston Test. "It's all positive stuff - who's bowling at me, where I am going to hit them, how I'm going to play, where I'm going to look to score. I don't very often get many of those negative thoughts. When I do, I shut them out pretty quickly."

More recently, Smith has spoken of the various methods he is using to try to improve his sleep in a game, particularly using a rain sounds app on his phone to simulate the gentle patter of raindrops and help quieten his active mind. For Paine, there is an acknowledgement that Smith's brain is part of what makes him one of the greatest batsmen the world has ever seen, but also an area where, the older and more mature he gets, improvement can still come.

"That is just how he is, but at the same time I know he's working with people at Cricket Australia and elsewhere on trying to find a better night's sleep," Paine said. "It's not a great endorsement for his Koala mattress company, but he's working on trying to get better at that and trying to relax a bit more during games. But he performs in first innings, which all good players want to be able to do when the game's up for grabs, and big first innings runs more often than not will win you Test matches or certainly put you well in front of the game.

"If you asked him would he rather score his runs in the first or the second innings he's going to take the first every day of the week and his record is second to none. He's plugging away at trying to get a better nights' sleep, but I don't think it's an easy fix for someone who's wired the way Steve is."

Something Paine noted about sleeping habits was the fact that fatherhood can provide a great simplifier. "I sleep okay, the bed in Adelaide's a bit soft, but I'm a pretty good sleeper I must admit," he said. "It's changed a bit since I've had children, I'm up a bit earlier these days, so I tend to crash a bit earlier as well."

Sleep or no sleep, Paine has his own issue to address in Adelaide this week - that of backing up after a victory. Two of Australia's six Test wins under his captaincy so far have been followed by defeats in the next match, with the Lord's draw also an uncomfortable result. Only once, against Sri Lanka in January and February, were two wins strung together.

"I wouldn't say we've had a problem with it, I'd say we haven't won a lot of cricket games over the last 18 months," Paine said. "But as I've touched on before Brisbane, now we've got a team together, we're turning up to Test matches expecting to win, whereas in the last 18 months it was probably a bit unsure and I think most teams would be the same had you taken their two best players out.

"Now we've got some consistency around our group, but we were certainly disappointed with the way we played the fifth Test [in England] and one of the things we've spoken about as a group since that is we've called it 'winning after winning', making sure we can back up a performance which we were really happy with last week, but coming to Adelaide now knowing that last week's performance means nothing and we have to be at our best again starting tomorrow afternoon."

A well-rested and relaxed Steven Smith will go a long way towards ensuring Australia start to pile the wins up into a longer sequence, particularly in terms of winning games where they haven't made the perfect start to proceedings.

Umesh Yadav says he knew he would get another shot at the highest level if he kept himself fit and trained hard when he was picked only occasionally across formats over the last two years.

As such, Yadav appears to be out of the race in the white-ball formats for now, and in Tests, he was behind Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami until recently. However, in India's last two home Test series - against South Africa and Bangladesh - he has emerged with the most wickets, the best strike rate and the best average among India's quicks.

"It becomes boring if you sit out and then certain thoughts that you don't want creep into your system," he told PTI. "Why I am not playing? What's happening? It becomes difficult to keep yourself positive, train hard and keep yourself ready.

ALSO READ: India's fast bowlers make world cricket exciting - Phil Simmons

"I knew my chance will come if I am fit since there are so many matches in the calendar. You need to wait since pace unit was doing really well."

India's pace arsenal has been lauded across the board, four back-to-back innings victories only raising their stocks - all, crucially, achieved despite Bumrah's injury-enforced absence. Yadav said the workload management of the fast bowlers had increased their longevity.

"All four of us are now at a level where you can't predict which three will play at one point in time," he said. "It's because of healthy competition. I believe it's a great thing that we are being rotated and played, because of which our longevity has increased and we are producing more match-winning performances.

"It is satisfying to know that now we are looked at as bowlers who could bowl all day. When this crop of fast bowlers came together, all five of us decided we are not here to just rough up the ball for spinners. We started thinking wickets"

"Whoever does well will be a part of the team. Important is to grab your chances with both hands as and when you get them. When I see Bumrah, Ishant and Shami, I try to learn from them. The learning never stops."

Separately, speaking to the Times of India, Yadav said he was pleased that India's fast bowlers were not being seen as limited only to bowling only with the new ball or later to rough the ball up for spinners.

"It feels nice when people talk about fast bowlers," he said. "People earlier talked about spinners when we played at home. They assumed the pitch would start taking turn early. Fast bowlers usually bowled with the new ball and were brought back when there was reverse swing on offer.

"Our job was to roughen up the ball for the spinners. Spinners even started with the new ball. It is satisfying to know that now we are looked at as bowlers who could bowl all day. When this crop of fast bowlers came together, all five of us decided we are not here to just rough up the ball for spinners. We started thinking wickets. This ensured we got the new ball."

Yadav has been talked up as a home specialist - his last away Test was in Perth in December 2018 - relying on his swing and reverse swing, not to forget the pace with which he troubles batsmen even if pitches are not very helpful.

"When you start bowling from the same spot, you tend to become predictable," he said. "The batsman knows that this is a bowler who will hit one particular length and they can manage. When you use [the] crease, you start using angles.

"From closer to stumps, the ball comes straight and then moves so the batsman is able to leave the ball. But if delivered from wide off crease, it comes in with the angle and then might straighten or even move away. That is a bigger challenge as impact is on the stumps. So as a fast bowler, if you don't use the crease, you can't create doubts in a batsman's minds that how much will the ball swing and they can commit mistakes."

Familiarity with conditions, of course, have helped.

"Usually the conditions where you play more, you get an idea of those conditions and you start executing plans well," he said. Yes, I agree a perception grows that this particular bowler is good in Indian or may be Asian conditions. But then if you play more in English conditions, you will do well there. Outside subcontinent, I have played very less matches in England, New Zealand and South Africa. The only place where I have played a few Tests is Australia. So may be that has led to this perception since less games means lesser number of wickets."

"While developing a new skill, there is a possibility of you losing something that comes naturally to you. I have seen many bowlers lose their stock outswing delivery trying to develop inswing"

For a while, though he had pace, Yadav was wayward, often spraying the ball around and going for runs, even in Test cricket. "It all depends on the conditions you play in," he said of the change. "I felt the tip of my index finger didn't get behind the seam enough. So when you try to push the ball, it tends to sway towards the leg stump. It also negates the swing. It happens more with the red ball."

Yadav is known to use his outswingers effectively in home conditions and reckons that working on inswingers came with its own risk.

"To develop a new skill needs hard work but there is a flip side to it," he said. "While developing a new skill, there is a possibility of you losing something that comes naturally to you. I have seen many bowlers lose their stock outswing delivery trying to develop inswing.

"So I believe that if I am getting my outswingers right, I should keep working on it. In the process, if I can perfect the delivery that straightens after pitching, nothing like it. So one needs to put in some thought before one does it."

It would appear that Yadav's short-format career is over internationally, or at least that he isn't in the fray if the top choices are fit and in form. But he hasn't given up hope.

"The white-ball season has just started. You can see Bhuvneshwar [Kumar], Shami, Kuldeep [Yadav] are getting back in the team. If I continue to do well, I may also get back in white-ball cricket."

Australia's newest selector George Bailey won't shy away from difficult selection conversations with players he shares close relationships with, including Tasmania team-mates Tim Paine and Matthew Wade.

Bailey won't begin his role alongside Justin Langer and Trevor Hohns until early February and will instead be an unofficial national teams advisor in the interim while he finishes his playing career with Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL.

Bailey's appointment has been met with universal approval, but as a current player who has played with and against almost every player involved in the national teams he will have some unique issues to manage. He captained a number of the players involved in the current teams at T20I and ODI level and has also played his entire domestic career alongside Test captain Paine, whose international career will almost certainly end during Bailey's time on the panel, although there is no suggestion that would be imminent. He has also played alongside Wade for many years with both Tasmania and Australia.

ALSO READ: 'I haven't heard anyone even doubt the decision' - Finch on Bailey being named selector

"I'm certainly going in with eyes wide open to the fact that there are difficult conversations that will be had," Bailey said. "Those two, in particular, I think it's all just about being honest. It certainly won't be my decision and my decision alone and like any player, you work through those things, hopefully together, but at the appropriate times.

"I feel like I'm a servant to the players and every player, or certainly the majority of the players playing first-class cricket, their dream is to play cricket for Australia. My job is to select the lucky few that get the opportunity to do that.

"But you're also trying to help those that are not quite in the mix, giving them some help and advice as to how you think they can get there and also the guys that have had the opportunity and then find themselves back out of the team, you're trying to help them out to get them back into that team."

Bailey also said he had thick skin as far as any criticism that might be levelled at him in the role.

"Have you seen the way I stand to face up to face a cricket ball?" Bailey said. "I'm happy to cop a little bit of criticism. That won't be any concern. Who should and shouldn't be in the Australian cricket team is always a hot topic of conversation, which is great. There will be a lot of people whose advice I think is important, and there'll be a lot that won't."

Bailey has been named in Tasmania's Sheffield Shield squad to face Queensland in Hobart starting on Friday, and he will also be available for Tasmania's last match before the BBL break against South Australia, but he is adamant he does not want a farewell game if he is not in Tasmania's best XI. He will play in the BBL for the Hurricanes but will retire from all forms at the end of the tournament.

He plans to use his last two months as a player to do some reconnaissance on the role.

"I'll use that time to talk to coaches and players and high performance staff about what that might look like and what players' expectations are, what coaches' expectations are," Bailey said. "My perspective has been one of player for many, many years and I've got some clear thoughts on what that's been like and what players feel like but learning what it looks like from the other side of the fence will be important.

"It seems to be that communication pops up a lot, which I think is one that can be easily fixed or understood. How much players want, how much stakeholders want, coaches, whether there's an expectation that players who aren't necessarily in and around the team still want a little bit more feedback."

He said performances will count for a lot but he shares the same values as Langer as far as character is concerned.

"Runs and wickets are always going to be important, it's a pretty good currency isn't it, if you're scoring them and taking them you're always going to be in the mix but there's so many other things that are important to being part of a team and part of a successful team. Some of those things I think Justin and Tim have been really strong on and Aaron [Finch] in the white-ball teams for Australia have been really strong on. Being a good person, being able to help your mates when you're not doing so well, being able to celebrate others success are also important as well as obviously being able to perform."

MILWAUKEE -- Reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said he knew better than to engage in a one-on-one battle with former teammate Jabari Parker during Milwaukee's 111-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Instead, The Greek Freak relied on team basketball. He scored 30 points and 18 rebounds -- to counter Parker's season-high 33 points and 14 rebounds -- as he led the Bucks to their first 15-3 start since 1973-74.

"We did that in practice every day," said Antetokounmpo, who played four seasons alongside Parker from 2014 to '18. "At the end of the day, Jabari's such a good player one-on-one, so I try not to get out of your game because you know that he loves to do that. He wants you to play one-on-one because he's so good at it."

All-Star forward Khris Middleton returned from his seven-game absence because of a left thigh contusion to post 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Parker posted 25 of his 33 points through two quarters, marking a career high for a half, and Trae Young added 29 points with seven assists. However, the Hawks dropped their eighth consecutive contest after overcoming a 17-point deficit.

"I just love being here. I love the fans," Parker said of Milwaukee. "It's like a home game for me because I just love the energy, and it's just like coming back to my second home in a lot of ways, so I get excited playing here."

Ahead of Wednesday's tipoff, Parker told ESPN that he would "never" rule out a return to the first NBA organization that he called home. He faces a player option for 2020-21 with the Hawks after signing a two-year, $13 million contract on July 11.

Antetokounmpo caught wind of Parker's comments after the victory and also wouldn't rule out a reunion down the line.

"I don't think there's a player that ever leaves Milwaukee that doesn't love Milwaukee," Antetokounmpo said. "As an organization, that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to make players love playing in Milwaukee, love being in Milwaukee."

Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign a five-year, $253.75 million supermax extension with the Bucks in the summer of 2020. That would be the largest in NBA history, per ESPN's Bobby Marks. However, Antetokounmpo set the record straight during Milwaukee's media day in September, saying that all free-agency talk throughout the season would be "disrespectful" to his teammates.

"At the end of the day, I want guys to love being here, love playing for this team, love playing with me," Antetokounmpo said. "I love that if he ever finds an opportunity to come back, he's willing to come back. Who knows? We might be teammates again.

"And it's not just Jabari. I'm talking about all of the guys -- Tony [Snell], Thon [Maker], Christian Wood, [Matthew Dellavedova], John Henson, Brandon Jennings -- all those guys that I played with. I know that if the opportunity presented itself, they would love to be here. A lot of people that played with me these seven years love playing for Milwaukee, and they love being in Milwaukee."

NEW ORLEANS -- As the lights dimmed in the Smoothie King Center for the national anthem and a calm came over the crowd, one New Orleans Pelicans fan let Anthony Davis know exactly what he thought about his return to the city he once called home.

"AD's a sellout!"

It was just a precursor to the type of treatment Davis was going to receive Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers forward played his first game in New Orleans since an offseason trade.

From the moment Davis hit the floor in warm-ups, the boos came crashing down from the top of the arena.

But Davis got the last laugh, scoring a game-high 41 points in the Lakers' 114-110 win.

Davis said experiencing the boos last season while he was still a member of the Pelicans -- when he was booed in his first game back after requesting a trade -- helped ease him into Wednesday's game. It also helped that LeBron James has had his share of returns to former teams as well.

"He went through a lot worse from what he told me. I just got boos. ... I felt good coming to the game when the ball was tipped," Davis said. "I think coming in and just worrying about what was on the floor and not what the crowd was saying or whatever. I did here something during the national anthem. That was the only time, it was super quiet. Other than that, I didn't really hear much. I actually got some love when I was sitting on the bench from some Pelican fans."

Davis' exit from the Crescent City was a drawn-out affair that started when he requested a trade in January but wasn't dealt until the summer.

On Wednesday, Pelicans fans relentlessly booed Davis any time he touched the ball, but the razzing wasn't just reserved for New Orleans' former No. 1 pick as James received his share of boos as well. James, the first person announced in the starting lineups, was booed in the early going but as the game wore on, the boos focused on Davis.

Every time Davis touched the ball, the boos of Pelicans' fans drowned out the cheers of the purple-and-gold-clad fans in the crowd. If Davis made a shot, Lakers fans would stand up and cheer. If he missed, it made Pelicans fans cheer as if Brandon Ingram or Jrue Holiday had made a basket.

Davis' teammates heard the boos throughout and had other ideas about where they should've been directed.

"New Orleans fans should probably boo their own team for letting him get 40 and come back," Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma said. "I don't know what that was. But he was ready for this game. On the way to the arena on the bus he was rapping out loud and he never really does that so you could kinda tell that he was ready to play."

James said the team could feel throughout the day how much the game meant to Davis.

"We understood, I mean anytime you go back to a place you've made a mark, you started your career... you wanna come back and play well," James said. "We knew that as his brothers ... that goal that he had set."

On top of the 41 points, Davis also helped to seal the game with a steal in the final seconds off of a Pelicans' inbounds play. He went 3-of-4 from the free throw line in the final 5.3 seconds. Before Davis changed out of his uniform, he went to the Pelicans locker room to give Holiday a signed jersey and wound up lingering a bit to catch up with old teammates and coaches.

"It just happened to work out that way," Davis said. "I just wanted to get the win. It was a great game. We competed and I think from my perspective everybody in the world that's all they want. A game like that. Two good teams going at it. I won't say tension, but everybody wanted to see. It was fun for me. Had a great time but most importantly I was just glad we got the win."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Big Picture

Day-night Test matches have been the centre of much discussion in recent days with India hosting their first contest with the pink ball. The second game of this series brings us back to the original home of the day-night Tests as the Adelaide Oval hosts its fourth match under lights. Whether India are playing under lights here next year is currently the topic of much debate.

Back in the present and the question is whether the different conditions will help or hinder Pakistan's chances of levelling the series. Given the struggle of the bowlers in Brisbane, if there is the prospect of their seamers getting more assistance it may narrow the gap, although anything their quicks can do Australia's big three will be very confident of replicating.

After flattering to deceive in the opening session at the Gabba, Pakistan were then so far behind the game after two days that even an improved showing could not prevent an innings defeat. However, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan - plus Asad Shafiq in the first innings - gave a template of how success can be achieved.

It was difficult to pick holes in Australia's performance although Tim Paine said the performance of the pace attack was slightly below the high expectations they set themselves. The top order did an outstanding job, but it will be interesting to see how they respond if challenged with more movement than was on offer in Brisbane.

For Australia this is the first of back-to-back day-night Tests with the opening game against New Zealand also under lights in Perth next month. While the format is still trying to find its feet around the world it is clear it is seen as a key part of the future of the game in Australia. After the underwhelming crowd numbers in Brisbane, how many come through turnstiles will be closely watched.

Form guide

Australia WLWLD (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLL

In the spotlight

The shock. The gasps. The silence. Steven Smith was out for 4. It would become the lowest score in Australia's mammoth 580. He made himself run back to the hotel the evening of his dismissal to Yasir Shah who reminded him that it was the seventh time he had removed him. Was that a good idea? It will hardly go down as one of the more vicious bowler v batsman baiting stories in the game, but Smith won't want to go two matches in a row without contributing even if it's the least his team owes him. Shah will need to be on top of his game.

It has largely been accepted - except, perhaps, by Pakistan's inner circle - that leaving Mohammad Abbas out of the Gabba Test was a mistake. His experience, control and skill - even if marginally diminished - would have surely been an asset. It seems inevitable he will now be recalled, with the pressure of stopping an in-form Australia top order. With the new pink ball likely to offer some assistance and then the element of twilight period, Abbas appears to be the perfect type of bowler.

Team news

Australia have named an unchanged team which means no place for James Pattinson who was ruled out of the first Test following his code of conduct suspension.

Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Matthew Wade, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan could make at least two changes and potentially three. Imam-ul-Haq is likely to return in place of Haris Sohail, meaning captain Azhar Ali will drop to No. 3, and Abbas is set to replace Imran Khan. The other decision to make is whether to play Naseem Shah in back-to-back Tests or bring in the uncapped 19-year-old Muhammad Musa.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Shan Masood, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Mohammad Abbas, 11 Naseem Shah/Muhammad Musa

Pitch and conditions

Usually an excellent pitch for Test cricket, the Adelaide Oval surface has produced some exciting cricket when the added dimension of the pink ball and lights are added. The long summer nights mean it doesn't get fully dark until late, but the twilight period can remain tricky. The less promising news is that there is the chance of showers throughout the match.

Stats and Trivia

• The top four wicket-takers in the brief history of day-night Test cricket will be on show: Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Yasir Shah and Nathan Lyon

• The top three leading run-scorers of day-night Tests - Azhar Ali, Steven Smith and Asad Shafiq - will also be playing

• Pakistan have not played a Test in Adelaide since 1990 when Imran Khan and Wasim Akram hit second-innings hundreds in a sixth-wicket stand of 191

• Steven Smith needs 23 runs to reach 7000 in Test cricket

Quotes

"I think that wicket looks a bit drier than perhaps it was the last pink ball Test we played here against England, but as we know the pink ball always offers enough. Our fast bowlers certainly enjoy bowling with it, particularly under lights. And the games tend to go quite quickly."
Tim Paine

Ross Taylor believes the depth in New Zealand cricket is "definitely the best" it has been at any point of his career.

Despite losing Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme to injury ahead of the second Test in Hamilton, Taylor is confident New Zealand can continue to flourish as a result of the quality of recruits coming into the side.

Allrounder Daryl Mitchell has been confirmed as the replacement for de Grandhomme, while either Matt Henry or Lockie Ferguson will replace Boult. On a surprisingly green surface that looks as if it may start just a touch damp and not offer much pace, it seems Henry is slightly more likely to play.

"The depth is definitely the best it's ever been during my career," Taylor said. "When I first started, I thought if we had a guy on debut we sort of hoped the player would do well. Now we expect the player to do well and that's a good place to be.

"It's exciting to be giving other guys an opportunity and test the depth of this team. That's probably been a strength of the side in recent times: guys who have come in have succeeded straightaway and put pressure on the incumbents."

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Taylor is well placed to comment. He started his international career in 2006 - on the same day as Alastair Cook - and is now the fourth most-capped men's player in New Zealand's history.

His words are backed by the Test rankings, too. New Zealand currently have three men in the top eight of the batting rankings and five in the top 18. They also have three men in the top 14 of the bowling rankings. There is also excitement over the impact South African-born Devon Conway could make in international cricket when he becomes eligible to play for New Zealand in September 2020.

Conway was the leading run-scorer in last season's Super Smash (New Zealand's domestic T20 tournament) and Plunket Shield (the first-class competition) and recently compiled an unbeaten triple-century for Wellington against Canterbury. It was just the eighth triple-century in first-class cricket in New Zealand and he went on to score the highest match aggregate in a first-class match in the country: 393.

"Colin de Grandhomme leaves some big shoes to fill but Daryl has some experience of international cricket at T20 level," Taylor continued. "He had a very good campaign around the first-class scene, too, so I'm looking forward to seeing how he goes.

"Whoever plays - Henry or Ferguson - will do very well. They are slightly different bowlers - Lockie has that extra pace, but Matt has been outstanding for us with the new ball - but they've both got their strengths. They have big shoes to fill, too, but both can do a great job and perform a similar role. Whoever we go with, we'll have a lot of confidence in."

Meanwhile, Taylor expressed his confidence in Joe Root despite the England captain's struggles with the bat in recent times. Admitting he found captaining and performing as a batsman a "tough balance", Taylor nevertheless expressed his confidence that Root would return to form.

"I wasn't captain for as long as Root," Taylor said. "And as captain of England, the scrutiny of the media is probably a little bit more than we get in New Zealand. It's a tough balance. Cricket can be a tough game, and it can be a lonely place at times.

"But, first and foremost, you're a batsman and it's a lot easier to give those messages [as captain] if you're scoring those runs. I'm only looking from afar but it seems they have a pretty good team dynamic and a good senior leadership group. Those senior players will be taking the heat off him in other ways, so that he can focus on his batting.

"He's got to be himself and authentic to the way he plays and trust himself. He's a class player. It's only a matter of time before he scores runs."