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LeBron James’ historic Game 4 performance raises questions about Anthony Davis

By Jerry Trotta

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 22: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers grabs a rebound in front of Jamal Murray #27 and Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter in game four of the Western Conference Finals at Crypto.com Arena on May 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 22: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers grabs a rebound in front of Jamal Murray #27 and Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter in game four of the Western Conference Finals at Crypto.com Arena on May 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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LeBron James put the Los Angeles Lakers on his back in Game 4, but he sadly couldn’t carry the team over the finish line. The Denver Nuggets completed the sweep with a 113-11 victory and are going to the NBA Finals.

LeBron shouldn’t have had to play superman, though.

James erupted for the highest scoring first half of his playoff career with 31 points, four rebounds and assists apiece, and two steals. He shot an absurd 11-of-13 from the field, made all four of his threes and all five of his free throws.

It was arguably LeBron’s best playoff performance for a half. He had some historic closeout games — and games in general — facing the Warriors in the Finals all those years, and countless other famed moments. This is right up there with those.

It should have been enough, but it wasn’t.

Because Anthony Davis didn’t make his presence felt. With a chance to keep the team’s season on the line, Davis wasn’t bothered to give maximum effort. Some would argue he gave the bare minimum, and they’d have a strong case. Some would argue Tristan Thompson (!) made a bigger impact.

They’d have a strong case.

Anthony Davis makes little impact in Lakers’ Game 4 loss vs Nuggets despite vintage LeBron James performance

Let’s not get carried away. The Lakers’ loss isn’t all on Davis. The second half raised ugly questions about the construction of the roster and underlined the lack of star-power needed to win championships.

The series isn’t on him, either. Los Angeles lost to the better team.

That said, there’s no excusing Davis’ effort. You expect a superstar of Davis’ prestige —  someone who was the best player on a Finals champion (the bubble Lakers) — to show up in a high-pressure game like this.

LA mortgaged its future for Davis so James wouldn’t have to turn back the clock to the 2016 Finals. At 38 years old and with historic mileage on his legs, it was impossible to expect James to maintain the same pace for all 48 minutes.

Again, he played every minute of the first half and willed the Lakers to a 73-58 halftime lead.

At that point, it was time to hand the proverbial torch to Davis. He either dropped it or didn’t grab it to begin with. One play in particular stood out when he fouled Jamal Murray on a three-pointer with the score nodded at 102-102 with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter.

Davis still “got his” in terms off filling up the box score, but 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting is nowhere need good enough. He finished with a team-worst -6 and got worked by Nikola Jokic on the defensive end, which prompted LeBron to guard Jokic in the second half.

Is it crazy to question if Davis is no longer untouchable? Might Davis’ performance incentivize Rob Pelinka to gash the roster for a third star?

Perhaps the better question would be is if the Lakers want to risk wasting what’s left of James’ greatness by hitching their wagon to Davis.

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