Thanks in large part to an extremely controversial call on a late LeBron James 3-pointer, the Los Angeles Lakers came up just short in a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, ultimately falling by two points. But the outstanding play of Anthony Davis continued despite the loss.
Facing off with Rudy Gobert, the heavy favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, Davis was absolutely dominant. The Lakers’ star finished with 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting to go along with 17 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and two blocks.
After the the Lakers’ loss, Davis explained his mindset and how he adjusted to how the Timberwolves’ defensive approach against him, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I feel good. Just trying to make plays for myself or others. Trying to get other guys going, just reading the defense. In the second half, they told me that they were gonna double me, and they did a couple times, so just got away from the post and did more pick-and-roll and spacing. But I feel good.”
Davis did it all on both ends of the court, not only with his work in the paint on offense, but also came up with arguably the block of the year late in the game as well.
Unfortunately it came in a loss, and Davis made it clear that regardless of how well he is playing, it is frustrating when it doesn’t lead to a Lakers win:
“Anytime you lose, whether I play well or poorly, it always bothers me. You always think about, especially me just now, I missed two big free throws and we lose by two. It could’ve tied the game and sent it to overtime or the outcome maybe happens a little different.
“So anytime you lose, you look back and think about, ‘What could I have done better?’ The first thing that comes to mind is those two free throws, which is rare for me. But you look back at it and just see how you can get better, especially with another one tomorrow night.”
As Davis noted, there is no time to focus on the loss as he and the Lakers have to turn right around and face the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night. The big man has silenced a lot of doubters with his play this season, but the focus for him remains on success with the Lakers overall.
Darvin Ham: new Lakers lineup benefits Anthony Davis
Head coach Darvin Ham recently made a change to the Lakers lineup and he feels the new starting group is ultimately benefitting Davis and helping with his recent excellent play.
“I think it’s great, man. Us going to more of a nontraditional lineup, I think it’s forcing him to be one of our major playmakers with our secondary offense with him in the trail,” Ham said.
“We played through him a lot, obviously in the post and at the elbow. But him being in the trail and getting to quarterback a little bit before he goes and sets a pick-and-roll, he can choose which side he wants to go to.
“And he’s getting in and out of screens great. He’s really not settling. Just playing to the paint, playing to the rim, running, catching lobs, playing in the pocket. He’s doing it a lot of different ways.
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