Anthony Davis was in full superstar mode in Monday night’s Los Angeles Lakers win against the Charlotte Hornets. He finished with 42 points and 23 rebounds on 17-for-28 from the field. He had 21 of those points and 11 of those rebounds in the first quarter alone, making him only the second player in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to have a 20-10 quarter.
Davis went to work against Charlotte and had one of his best games of the season. He was hitting from all distances, outworking the Hornets in the paint, and was the true centerpiece of the Lakers offense. That’s something the Lakers have been trying to do for years, but it has only worked in small doses.
But on Monday night, everything was working in that way. And Davis gave credit to his teammates for playing perfectly within the flow of the offense, which indirectly led to better shots for him, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Shot was just feeling good. Teammates did a good job of setting me up, especially Austin. In the pocket, the jumper, getting to the line. All facets of the game was working. Missed two 3s but yeah, it’s the entire team. Not just me. The way we’ve been playing and moving the basketball, we’ve been playing for each other. Not caring who scores as long as we score. Just been opening things up for me.”
Davis spoke about the mentality he had in the first quarter and why things were able to go so well for him, and what his mindset was once that quarter came to an end:
“Just being aggressive. I felt good early on and shots were falling. Just wanted to keep it going and make sure it wasn’t just a one quarter thing. Obviously the team needed me to continue to play well and didn’t want to relax. Just trying to do what I could to help the team.”
When Davis plays to that level, the Lakers become a very difficult team to beat. Even as the Hornets made runs and got themselves back into the game, they couldn’t get over the hump with the way Davis was playing.
And on Tuesday night, Davis will have a chance for another incredible outing as the Lakers go for five consecutive wins.
Anthony Davis to host new prank show
Anthony Davis has become the leading man for the Lakers during the 2024-25 season, leading the team in several categories and propelling them to a postseason spot in the Western Conference.
While LeBron James remains one of the most elite players in the league, it feels like the torch was passed to Davis who’s assumed more leadership responsibility as well. Head coach JJ Redick said his plan was to feature and empower Davis more and so far it’s worked close to perfection as the star big man is having arguably the best season of his career.
Since coming to Los Angeles, Davis has been one of the most dominant two-way players in the league and always puts the team in position to win games against the best. Off the floor, he’s also found success in other business ventures like most athletes nowadays do.
Media has become a popular avenue for athletes like Davis to explore and it was announced he will be hosting his own prank show on TBS.
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