:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72804512/1747760019.0.jpg "Lakers: LeBron James calls Anthony Davis pick-and-roll ‘second nature’")
LeBron James and Anthony Davis were a perfect combination in the pick-and-roll, helping the Lakers defeat Phoenix.
The Lakers tried their best to come back and beat the Phoenix Suns at home in the fourth quarter. While they needed ice coldness from Phoenix and impeccable defensive play from Christian Wood, the old reliable pick-and-roll of LeBron James and Anthony Davis secured the win.
With 3 minutes and 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter, LeBron James brought the ball to the court and waited for Anthony Davis, who was lagging behind, to return to the Lakers side. He then slipped between Jusuf Nurkic and Eric Gordon and drove to the basket with Davis trailing, ready for a rebound or an inside pass from James. He scored on a layup to give Los Angeles the lead.
The two teams alternated layups, James and Davis executed pick-and-rolls again, and the battle was tied at 91. The result was still the same, James passed Gordon with a kick, but the slower Nurkic was unable to prevent James from going to the layup.
“I think it’s second nature to myself and AD,” James said. “We’ve been doing this for five years. We know when it’s money-making time and it’s a close game and we know we can make some moves and we know we can at least take a good look and hit the ball whether it’s For myself, for my teammates, and for AD. We were able to hold on to the end in this game, and we were able to execute.”
On the following possession, LeBron took the Suns away for good. This time, James drives inside rather than off Nurkic’s perimeter, Grayson Allen attempts a tap-in, and Kevin Durant witnesses another closing performance from the 21-year veteran .
The James-Davis pick-and-roll is a perfect combination that can only be matched by peanut butter and jelly. There isn’t a good defensive option given their size, athleticism and years of chemistry. Over-helping James, he can pass the ball to Davis or a shooter waiting on the wing. Stay back and you can let James go downhill and apply his power to your big man. The Lakers have already used this move to win the 2020 championship and advance to the Western Conference in 2023, and will use this move early and often this year in pursuit of their ultimate goal of an 18th championship.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter: @ECreates88.
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