Los Angeles Lakers lose but still honor Kobe Bryant, 4 lessons
By Ronald Agers
If Lillard wasn’t so hot in this game, it would be all about Anthony Davis. He had a monster game!
Anthony Davis has a knack for mauling opponents in the first-quarter. That trend continued, scoring 18 points in the first frame. AD rode that wave to finish the night with 37 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five blocks.
He was the only Lakers big man to make a real impact in the game. He basically scored from everywhere and every which way.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1223465779745579010
These numbers were earned. It’s not like Portland rolled over in fear and let him dominate. Davis played a very solid game in this one.
Lillard will eventually come back down from his hot streak (They are beautiful while they last, but eventually they end!), so if Davis can start dropping 3-point shots as he did in this game, the Lakers had better get ready for a long playoff run.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1223483966549716992
He hit 3-of-5 from the land of the extra point. It seems that Frank Vogel is committed to AD shooting the 3-point shot. On this night, he was knocking them down.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be a different team with AD healthy. Portland seemingly could not get a rebound getting pushed around 61-40. Davis led the charge. He even caught a left-handed flying from the baseline on a Kyle Kuzma miss as you can see in the picture above.
This dude is so skilled, it just makes no sense. Put the Mamba Mentality in this guy, he’ll put the rest of the NBA out of business.