The Los Angeles Lakers were able to maintain their perfect record at home thanks to a career game from Anthony Davis in the 120-91 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Both Davis and LeBron James served as the central force of a much-needed resurgence in the second half with their efforts on both ends of the floor.
However, it was the historic performance from Davis that helped the Lakers pull away during a dominant third quarter.
The 26-year-old finished with 40 points, 20 rebounds, and two blocks to get a winning streak going in Los Angeles. He has now managed to join some elite company as only the sixth player in franchise history to finish with this stat line.
Although Davis is proud to get his name up with some of the most legendary big men in team history, he was even more happy the Lakers were able to secure the win.
“It’s an honor… great company,” Davis said. “To be a part of this franchise and do something special to be on that list with those legends means a lot to me, but what’s more important, I’m happy that we got the win.”
James added that the best still has yet to come for Davis as the team continues to get on the same page.
“I don’t even think he’s scratched the surface yet,” James said. “I think we’re all still getting comfortable with one another and I think he’s still getting comfortable out on the floor.”
There is certainly plenty of truth to James’ comments given the Lakers are just four games into the 2019-20 NBA season. While they have shown plenty of promise with the development of their team chemistry, it is safe to say they still have a long way to go before they can be considered a finished product.
Regardless, it has become clear early on that any recipe for success revolves around allowing Davis to find his rhythm by getting to right spots on offense and in transition. His ability to take advantage of mismatches led to some easy points against Memphis after a career day from the charity stripe that saw him hit 26-of-27 from the free-throw line.
The onus will ultimately fall on James to ensure the offense does not fall stagnant in their efforts to get Davis going.
Fortunately, they have managed to make some tremendous strides in their rapport thus far and will look to keep it going as they prepare for a three-game road trip.