An injury prevented former LeFlore High School standout DeMarcus Cousins from taking his place in the starting lineup for the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night. But in a way, he was on the court anyway.

Anthony Davis, Cousins' teammate on the New Orleans Pelicans and fellow All-Star starter, began the game wearing Cousins' jersey instead of his own.

Later in the game, Davis switched to his regular number 23. Davis scored 12 points in the NBA All-Star Game for Team LeBron, which defeated Team Stephen 148-145.

Cousins suffered a torn Achilles tendon on Jan. 26, causing him to miss his first All-Star starting assignment. Cousins has been selected for the past four All-Star Games.

Cousins averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during the 2017-18 season. He turned in one of the most statistically dominant games in NBA history on Jan. 22 when he became the fifth player to have at least 40 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in one game.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.