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Anthony Davis out with groin strain

NBA, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers

NEW ORLEANS -- Pelicans forward Anthony Davis missed Friday night's 108-103 win against the Los Angeles Clippers because of a groin strain.

"I talked to him yesterday and I said, 'If you don't look close to yourself, I'm not going to let you play,'" Pelicans coach Monty Williams said after the game. "And he said, 'No, Coach, I'm good,' and I said, 'Dude, look, it's not going to happen.' It's not what we need. I would never put anybody out there that's not close to themselves. It doesn't help them and it doesn't say a lot about our program."

Asked about a timetable for Davis' return, Williams said it would happen when Davis looked more like himself.

"It's all about his comfort level and what we see," Williams said. "If it was just his comfort level, he would play, but we don't see him with the same burst and explosion, certainly moving off of that leg where the injury happened. We don't see the same A.D. That's where you have to pull the plug on him so he can stop trying to play and rest and get the rehab that he needs so he can play in the next game if possible."

The Clippers got J.J. Redick back after the shooting guard missed one game with back spasms. He had 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting and four assists as the Clippers' six-game winning streak was snapped.

Davis was hurt in a collision with Denver's Kenneth Faried on Wednesday night. Williams said his leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker was hampered by the injury during pregame workouts.

Williams said he wants Davis to focus on rehabilitation and try to return for Monday night's game against Atlanta.

ESPN.com's Arash Markazi and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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