Anthony Davis, a star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, has been on a tear, and his showing on Tuesday night was another great one. Davis scored 41 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and passed the ball six times as the Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors for their second straight win.
Instead of starting center Jakob Poeltl, the Raptors had Davis shoot 13 out of 17 from the field, and the Lakers made the most of it. Davis has made 59.8 percent of his shots from the field in his last 10 games, and the big man said he is just feeling it right now.
It was Davis’s third straight great game. “Just in a great rhythm right now,” he said. “My teammates are good at passing the ball to me in places where I can use it.” I’m doing everything I can to help the team win.
“Of course, we knew tonight that they wouldn’t have rim protection without Jakob Poeltl.” I only meant to use that to my advantage.”
Victory is always the most important thing, and Davis made sure the Lakers won by scoring 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and making 11 of 11 free throws. Davis has had trouble making crucial free throws in the past, but a former friend gave him a little extra push.
“No. Davis was asked if he had thought about missing the line. “I know what you’re talking about. Boston last year, Philly,” he replied. “No, no.” In the last two, Dennis Schroder talked to me and said, “The pressure is on now.” That’s why I wanted to make them without a rim. I did not want to hit the goal. It was one of them.
“But no, I’m a lot of sure of myself when I step up to the line and make free throws to win the game.” So I didn’t think of anything.”
Davis’s outside game has also gotten better this season. He’s been much better from the midrange and 3-point line, which he says is because he’s been taking more shots from those spots. “I just wasn’t shooting it enough,” the Lakers center said.
“I got a lot of shots in the paint, from post-ups to ducks to seals and other things.” When teams double-team me on a catch or pass, I’ve been going back to the mid-range shot, which is easier, instead of fighting the double team to get a shot up. So that’s all there is to it: trust it and shoot it anyway.
Davis’s attitude, leadership, and, of course, play on the court are helping the Lakers get out of this slump. The big man now just wants the team to keep playing the way they have been the last couple of games.
There are a lot of different opinions. Turnovers, bad performance, and not paying attention to the little things cost us. We just hit a streak of four losses, but we turned things around, picked up all of those areas, and were able to get two wins. That’s why we’ve shown throughout the season that we can play the way we should to win. Now all I want is for us to keep going in that direction and accept the outcome.
As long as Davis keeps playing like this and the Lakers don’t lose, things will usually go well moving forward.
Anthony Davis of the Lakers is used to “guarding anyone” in the NBA
Davis has been very good on attack, but he is also still one of the best defenders in the league. His defense is good enough to stop almost anyone, and the Lakers’ big man is always at ease no matter who he faces.
Davis said, “I feel very good guarding anyone in this league.” “I have proven that I can guard players from positions 1 through 5, and my team trusts me to make plays defensively for them.”