NBA notebook: Pelicans’ Davis expected to play Friday

New Orleans forward Anthony Davis will play in Friday's game at Indiana, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry confirmed Thursday. In the final game before the All-Star break on Feb. 14, Davis left the Pelicans' victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder with a shoulder contusion. Davis played five minutes in the All-Star Game for Team LeBron and scored five points before taking himself out of the game as a precaution. Davis, who requested a trade last month, is averaging 28.1 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.5 blocked shots per game this season. The NBA has denied reports that the league threatened to fine the Pelicans $100,000 per game if the team chooses to sit a healthy Davis. --Chandler Parsons is set to take the floor for the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff announced, and it will be only the fourth game of the season for the forward. Parsons played in the first three games of the season, but has not seen action since Oct. 22, when he played just six minutes and did not score against the Utah Jazz. He had a partial meniscus tear in his left knee, which was originally believed to be bad enough to keep him out the entire season. The Grizzlies could use as many minutes as Parsons can give them in Friday's home game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Marc Gasol was moved to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline earlier this month and forward Kyle Anderson is not expected to play Friday because of a shoulder injury. --Lowering the draft-eligible age requirement in the NBA from 19 to 18 is one step closer to reality after the league submitted a proposal to the National Basketball Players Association, USA Today reported. The report, citing a source, also indicated that the union and executive director Michele Roberts plan to review the proposal Monday. The timing, according to USA Today, does not coincide with the knee injury suffered Wednesday night by Duke freshman Zion Williamson, the expected No. 1 pick on the 2019 NBA Draft. The reported proposal is the first step in making the change by the 2022 draft. Players would be allowed to enter the NBA right out of high school. --While LeBron James' exploits on the basketball court have always been worth watching, now his HBO show "The Shop" is also earning must-see status. The second season of James' show, which will debut March 1, is scheduled to have both Anthony Davis, who has said he would like to be traded from the New Orleans Pelicans, and wide receiver Antonio Brown, who is trying to work his way off the Pittsburgh Steelers' roster. James and co-host Maverick Carter reportedly filmed a segment for the show with Davis this past weekend amid All-Star Game festivities. --Charlotte Hornets forward Frank Kaminsky is trying to secure a buyout to become a free agent, Sporting News reported. The No. 9 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Kaminsky is averaging a career-low 5.2 points and 10.8 minutes per game during his fourth season with Charlotte. First-year Hornets head coach James Borrego has kept the 7-footer out of the lineup in 31 of the team's first 57 games. Since playing 16-plus minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 2, Kaminsky has appeared in only four of Charlotte's last 20 games for a total of about 26 minutes. --Field Level Media