Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back in resounding fashion, cruising to a 111-88 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2 of their first-round series. Davis led all players with 31 points and 11 rebounds.
He made Lakers playoff history in the process, becoming the franchise’s first player — and fifth ever — with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in fewer than 30 minutes played during the shot clock era.
Davis is the third Lakers player to score at least 30 points in an NBA Playoff game in 30 minutes or less, and is the first to accomplish the feat since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did so against the Boston Celtics on June 14, 1987.
“I put pressure on myself. (After Game 1) I asked a couple guys on the team and some coaches, how can I be better? They all told me I played well, so I was just critiquing myself,” Davis said.
“I knew I had to be better on both ends of the floor. I wanted to come out with the mindset to be aggressive, to help my team on both ends of the floor and do whatever I have to do to help us get the win.”
In addition to Davis erupting, the Lakers enjoyed a better shooting effort. By connecting on 14 3-pointers, they set a new franchise playoff record for most makes. It previously was 13 made 3-pointers, set against the Utah Jazz on May 8, 2010.
Furthermore, the team’s 23-point margin of victory was their largest for a playoff game since the Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by 24 points in the first round, also in 2010.
“The 3-point shot is a big-time shot in our league. We’ve known that. Obviously the numbers have gone up over the last 10 years, but it’s always been a great shot,” LeBron James said.
“The ability to hit shots from the exterior gave A.D. room, gave myself room, gave Alex Caruso room, and Dwight and JaVale room to be able to work in the paint. We want to continue to have that, we want our shooters to continue to shoot with no conscious and we want to continue to give them the ball, make or miss.”
LeBron was previous record setter
While it came in a losing effort, James became the first player in NBA history with a playoff triple-double of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists, when he had 23, 17 and 16 in Game 1.
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