The Los Angeles Lakers fell 115-110 to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, but the loss hardly made for the game’s main storyline amid Anthony Davis’ return from his Achilles injury.
The 28-year-old forward played 17 minutes in three first-half stints finishing the game with four points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block under the belt. Buckets didn’t fall in for Davis early in the night as he ended up shooting 2-for-10 from the field, but he still felt good and healthy on the floor.
The All-Star will eventually get back to his best self but in the meantime, Lakers guard Dennis Schroder said he doesn’t want Davis to worry about his limited contribution. “First off, it don’t matter where we end up at, I believe,” he said.
“End of the day, we want to make the playoffs more than win games. We want to focus on us, what we do, and try to get better every game until everybody gets back, and to this point … you can’t rush nobody.”
Schroder pointed out the depth of the Lakers’ roster, saying the second unit should help to rake in victories while the All-Stars are getting back in shape. The 27-year-old added that in his eyes, the wealth of talent will tip the scale in L.A.’s favor come the playoffs. “I think everybody else coming from the bench got to give everything they have to win a game,” he said.
“We just got to get out there 48 minutes try to give everything we have and try to come up with some wins of course, but I think for me personally, if everybody is there in a seven-game series, I put my money on us.”
Schroder draws extra motivation from facing superstars like Luka Doncic
Schroder registered one of the best performances in the Lakers jersey on Thursday, ending the night with 25 points in addition to 13 assists on an efficient 9-of-13 shooting.
Only Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dallas star Luka Doncic scored more than the German playmaker, the former chipping in 29 points and the latter answering with 30. Schroder said that coming up against the NBA’s best guards provides him with extra motivation to help L.A. chalk up a win. “He’s of course a great player,” Schroder said of Doncic.
“I like to compete against the best guys. He’s a hell of a player of course … in the NBA we play almost every night against the best point guards in the world. Me as the underdog I like to compete. I like the challenge. I’m going to do everything I can to compete and try to get a W for my team.”
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