Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Davis dominates in debut

The Los Angeles Lakers handled their business during their preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors as Anthony Davis had quite the debut.

Los Angeles Lakers basketball is finally back! The team kicked off their 2019 preseason against the defending Western Conference Champion Golden State Warriors, who had their first game at their brand new Chase Center. The Lakers ruined that home opener as they blew out the Warriors on Saturday night.

Los Angeles won the game 123-101 as they dominated right from the opening tip. The size advantage they had proved too much to overcome, as they thoroughly dominated the Warriors on the interior.

Tonight was also the much-anticipated debut of Anthony Davis. The Lakers acquired Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans prior to the 2019 NBA Draft and he did not disappoint during his first game in the purple and gold.

Davis had it going right from the start. It took less than two minutes for LeBron James to find his new superstar running mate for an easy layup at the rim.

Davis was only getting started at that point as he was unstoppable. AD wreaked havoc in the paint whether it was with putback tips or thunderous dunks.

The undersized Warriors, who started Draymond Green and Omari Spellman in the frontcourt, had no answers for Davis. Green was tasked with slowing down Davis but he was unable to contain him in any capacity.

Davis would finish the first quarter with 17 points and seven rebounds. He only played in the first half, but put up stats most players only dream that could record in a full game.

In 18 minutes Davis scored 22 points on 9-of-16 from the field, going 0-for-3 from the 3-point line and 4-of-6 from the foul line. He added 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal. He had numerous highlights in those 18 minutes that has fans giddy for what could happen in the regular season.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1180645823488462848

Davis wasn’t the only Laker to have a successful debut tonight. Troy Daniels was a sparkplug off the bench, pouring in 14 points in 25 minutes. He led the team with a +/- ratio of +18, adding two rebounds and two seals as well.

James had a strong game as well. Like Davis, he only played in the first half. However, he made the most of those minutes. He scored 15 points, going 5-of-10 from the field, 0-for-3 from distance and 5-of-8 from the foul line, adding three rebounds and eight assists.

More from Lake Show Life

• Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
• Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
• Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
• Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
• Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated

While James wasn’t technically the starting point guard, he was the clear facilitator in the starting five, which is expected on any James-led team.

Every player that got on the court tonight for the Lakers scored except Avery Bradley. However, he showed exactly what everyone has been raving about during training camp thus far with his defensive intensity.

Bradley was tasked with defending Stephen Curry and Bradley made him work for everything while they were matched up. Bradley was picking him up 94-feet and hounding him the second the Lakers offensive possession ended. That kind of intensity can be infectious, so hopefully, the rest of his teammates catch the defensive fever.

This was an awesome start to the preseason for the Lakers as they played well on both ends of the court. It will be a few days until we see them play again, as they will be traveling to China.

In China, the Lakers will play two games against the Brooklyn Nets, who handled business against Franca in their preseason opener, winning 137-89. The two teams will play Oct. 10 and Oct. 12 with both games starting at 7:30 am ET/4:30 am PT.