The Los Angeles Lakers are now 2-1 in the Orlando bubble with a win over the Utah Jazz.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz on Monday night in their third game of the Orlando bubble by a final score of 116-108. The final score was a bit misleading, as the Lakers went on a great run in the third quarter to separate from the Jazz and coast in the fourth quarter.
This moves the Lakers to 2-1 in the Orlando bubble and officially clinches the team as the number one seed in the Western Conference. It was all but a formality at this point, but it is nice to see that the Lakers are back on top of the West for the first time in a decade.
There are going to be plenty of things to talk about after letting this game digest. Here are the instant takeaways from the win.
1. The Los Angeles Lakers are best when Anthony Davis leads the charge
Anthony Davis had himself a game. After being passive against the Toronto Raptors and playing one of the worst games of his entire Laker tenure, Davis attacked the Jazz early and often and set the tone in the first quarter.
Davis finished the night with 42 points, 12 rebounds and made 13 of 28 shots. He was not shy in shooting the basketball early on, attempting 10 shots in the first six and a half minutes of the game. Davis took only seven shots against the Raptors.
It was promising to see how much Davis stretched the floor as well. Coming up against a great interior defender like Rudy Gobert was no easy task and the Jazz dared Davis to shoot, and he did. Davis made half of his eight three-point shot attempts.
LeBron James might be the face of basketball and might be the player that most casual fans first recognize on the Los Angeles Lakers, but it is clear that Anthony Davis is the key difference-maker on this team.