With Anthony Davis sidelined with a left adductor strain, the responsibility now falls on DeMarcus Cousins to carry the load for the New Orleans Pelicans.As a tandem, they have been the most devastating combination in the league thus far and are putting up historic numbers between them.But the pair has shown during their careers that they can lead a team on their own and be number one options offensively.So with Davis out, it was down to Cousins to assume the role he had with the Sacramento Kings and he obliged in stunning fashion in the Pelicans' last outing.The three-time All-Star led New Orleans to a big 123-114 win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night and produced an incredibly rare feat with his stat line.The center posted an astonishing 40 points and 22 rebounds. It was the second time already this season that he has notched a 40-point, 20-rebound game.Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing was the last player to put up those numbers more than once in a season 27 years ago, which puts Cousins in elite company.The other occasion in which Boogie recorded this line was also, coincidentally, when Davis was not in the lineup in his first return to Sacramento where he went off for 41 points and 23 boards.Without his fellow big man by his side, everything went through the 27-year-old offensively and he was afforded more shots and touches.But this shouldn't take anything away from his incredible performances as it's no easy feat to go for 40 and 20.Only three players have been able to do it in recent memory - Davis, Dwight Howard and Karl-Anthony Towns.The All-NBA star also added four assists and four blocks and became just the fifth player since 1963 to post 40, 22, four and four, joining the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon.

"Tonight was my night," Cousins said, per ESPN. "You kind of get locked in and you know when you're rolling."

Teammate Jrue Holiday described him as unstoppable and believed he could have scored more.

"It's hard to stop him. Just give him the ball, really," he said. "He should have had 50. He missed a couple free throws."

The victory moves the Pelicans back above .500 with a 13-12 record in the Western Conference.

Cousins will get his second crack at his former Sacramento squad on Friday night when they visit the Smoothie King Center.

Having already torched his old team and coming off this monster performance, we can certainly expect to see another big night from the Kentucky product.