Anthony Davis makes Lakers history not seen since Kobe Bryant

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off the last big road trip of the season on Tuesday against a tough Milwaukee Bucks team. To make the challenge even tougher, the Lakers were looking to beat the Bucks for a second time without LeBron James in the lineup.

It looked bleak for most of the game but Los Angeles showed no quit, storming back from a big deficit in the fourth quarter to eventually secure the double-overtime victory. With the Western Conference extremely tight, this win could be the difference between being an eighth seed and ninth seed in the West.

There were several standouts in the game with Austin Reaves truly stealing the show. While Reaves had the biggest plays in the biggest shots, Anthony Davis was the consistent presence on both ends. As he has been nearly every game this season, Davis was the motor that drove the Lakers.

It wasn't just a 34-point, 23-rebound game for Davis. Davis did something on Tuesday night that none of his doubters would have ever imagined, becoming the first Laker to do so since Kobe Bryant in 2012: play 52 minutes in one game.

Anthony Davis joins unique Lakers company with Kobe Bryant

This may not seem like a big deal and to be fair, we are not going to be telling our grandkids about the 52-minute Anthony Davis game that happened in late March. This was not some historical feat that is going to be the highlight of the entire NBA season.

That being said, it was a statement game for Davis in a season that has been full of statements. Davis has picked up the reputation of being injury-prone and unreliable over the years. And to be fair, that narrative was justified as Davis was getting hurt left and right.

AD came into this season wanting to change the narrative and even said as much to the media. Prior to the season, Davis set the lofty goal of playing all 82 games this season. That is not obtainable as he has missed a few, but Davis is on track to set a new career-high this season.

If Davis plays every single game down the stretch he will finish with 78 games played. His career-high is 75 games played, which he has not accomplished since the 2017-18 season.

Davis has proven that he can be durable through the course of the season and has also proven that he can go out, play 52 minutes, and lead his team to a huge win over a tough opponent. Joining Kobe in this, albeit small, club is simply a testament to all the hard work Davis has put in this season.