For the second time in the three years since the introduction of this version of the Play-In Tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers had to fight for their lives to secure the No. 7 seed. Thanks to the contributions of Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Dennis Schroder, the Lakers are now 2-0 in this game.
Davis finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks and was a defensive stalwart that allowed only two attempts in the paint in the entire second half. He fought to keep the Lakers afloat when it was clear the team was running on fumes.
The Crypto.com Arena crowd also played their part in energizing the Lakers. They were loud throughout the night and helped to push an exhausted Lakers team past the finish line.
“Yeah, the crowd definitely got us back into it,” Davis said. “You know, with our play, having a crowd behind us. It was fun, energy was there.
“This is what you dream about playing in Crypto [laughs], and just allowing the crowd kind of do their thing and get the other team rattled and kind of give us a little bit more energy to go on runs and make big plays. So it was electric tonight, and I can’t wait until we come back home when we have our two home games. You know, whatever the days are, and I know it’s gonna be even louder.”
The Lakers begin their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies in Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, meaning they have four full days off before then. For Davis, it was one of the biggest motivating factors on Tuesday night.
“That was our main focus. Even when we were down I think 15 or 17 or something like that. We just kept saying we got to get aggressive, we can’t play I thought it was Thursday, or Friday, or whatever day it is we didn’t want to play whatever day it was. We wanted to get this rest. Let our bodies heal and recover.
“I mean, we’ve been going at it in playoff mode, since the All-Star break trying to get in. So it’s good to have four days to kind of just recover and that our bodies heal, get some mental prep on Memphis, and go in kind of fresh on Sunday. … And then you know, with the Play-in, we would have lost playing again, it didn’t go right into a matchup. We’ve been tough, especially with all the bumps and bruises our guys have so it feels good to get this win and get a couple of days rest before we get to Memphis.”
For a team like the Lakers with a few older and injury-riddled players, having the extra rest could be massive. If they had lost on Tuesday, they would have needed to play Friday just to fight for the No. 8 seed. A win in that game would’ve meant a 48-hour turnaround to be in Colorado to face the Denver Nuggets.
Now Davis and the Lakers get to take four days off before they head to Memphis and begin their path towards a hopeful first-round upset of the Grizzlies.
Game 1 against Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon
The Lakers’ first game against the Grizzlies has already been scheduled, and it will take place on Sunday, April 16 at 12:00 p.m. PT on ABC.
There will be a lot of rest early in the series as Game 2 is not until Wednesday, and then Game 3 back in L.A. isn’t until the following Saturday.
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