Ken Blades-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis was the best player on the court Saturday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made 13 of 20 shots and efficiently scored 32 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks, laying the foundation for the Lakers’ offense and defense. That eased the burden off LeBron James, who scored 22 points in the win.
Davis’ offense has been hit and miss this season. While he’s proven he can dominate in that area, he’s also had a few quiet games where he disappeared from the game plan. But his status as a defensive anchor has been consistent from game to game.
James recognized that asking Davis to be both an offensive juggernaut and a defensive wall was a tall order, but he saw what Davis was capable of, even against difficult opponents, by Spectrum Sports Network:
“Yeah, I mean we have high expectations for AD. We want him to be aggressive offensively while anchoring our defense. Tonight was an AD game. Defensively, they have Jarrett ·Trees like Allen and Evan Mobley, I think AD does a great job on offense but also on defense and covering the glass when those guards are trying to get into the paint, trying to change their shot at the rim. And getting blocked shots and trying to clean the glass at the same time. So AD was big for us tonight.”
James believes the only way to make Davis’ offensive output more consistent is to find him more consistently and include him in the game plan:
“I think just looking for him more diligently. I’m on 95 percent of pick-and-roll plays. When he has a chance to pocket the ball or the big guy doesn’t come up, we find him with a lob or find him getting a seal in transition. Opportunities, we have to find him. It’s as simple as that. Sometimes we get certain game calls as well and we can make instant calls to help him get the ball. Even if he doesn’t shoot, he just touches the ball, and I think from the beginning of the game, I think He – just after me and one ball, we had a chance to call our first set – he touched the ball. He touched the ball the whole game, which is important for our club.”
The buzz surrounding Davis has been ongoing for several seasons. But given the championship expectations this season, the Lakers must find a way to avoid the usual low-scoring outings from their superstar players.
Davis discusses big second-half scoring output
Davis scored 23 of his 32 points in the second half and talked about the difference in offense between the halves.
He also joked that he saw Christian Wood score more points than him in the half but couldn’t let that be representative of the entire game.
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