'Baked Goods Bandit' Steals Birthday Cake Intended for Pelicans Center Derrick Favors

New Orleans Pelicans center Derrick Favors is in the Orlando bubble with his team and fighting for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Prior to the season resuming, however, he faced a mystery revolving around stolen baked goods. An unidentified bandit made away with a birthday cake intended for Favors.

The Pelicans center turned 29 on July 15, and the team's rookies responded by singing "Happy Birthday" to him after practice ended. The Pelicans then informed Favors that a birthday cake waited for him in the team's meal room. When he headed to get the delectable treat, it was nowhere to be found. Someone had taken his birthday cake.

The lack of baked goods created an issue for the Pelicans. The team responded by placing an order for cupcakes so Favors would not miss out on a birthday treat. The cupcakes arrived the next morning and were stored in the refrigerator. Once the team went to retrieve the cupcakes, only one remained.

"I won't name names but I bet it was someone on the Wizards that stole Derrick Favors' birthday cake," one NBA fan commented on Twitter after hearing about the baked goods bandit. Others weighed in and placed blame on the Los Angeles Lakers. Specifically, one fan mentioned Dion Waiters and cited his previous incident with THC-infused edibles.

While the cake case remains unsolved, Favors' attention has since shifted. He and the Pelicans are fighting for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs and have to leapfrog both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies in order to do so. However, the Pelicans have struggled on the court.

Since returning to action in the bubble, Favors' team has lost to the Utah Jazz, lost to the Los Angeles Clippers and defeated the Memphis Grizzlies. The team is quickly running out of opportunities to secure a spot in the playoffs. The remaining schedule includes five games, including two against the Sacramento Kings.

The Grizzlies, on the other hand, have not won a single game since the season restart. The Tennessee team lost to the Trail Blazers in overtime, lost to the San Antonio Spurs by a mere two points and then fell to Favors and the Pelicans. The Grizzlies still hold a slight advantage in the playoff race and hold the final spot, but continued losses will drop them out of contention and put either the Trail Blazers or the Pelicans in the postseason.

If this occurs, Favors will have another reason to celebrate. It's unclear if the team will provide another cake, but one thing is certain. There will be increased security around the refrigerator.