For the most part, the Los Angeles Lakers will go as far as LeBron James and Anthony Davis carry them. But sometimes they are gonna have off nights and will need the rest of the Lakers to come to the rescue and that was the case in the team’s Play-In Tournament victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
With Davis and LeBron shooting a combined 12-of-36 from the field, the Lakers got an offensive boost from the likes of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent. Davis and James, meanwhile, found other ways to help the team and the end result was a Lakers victory.
Afterwards, LeBron praised the Lakers role players for picking he and Davis up offensively while the two superstars found other ways to make an impact, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Yeah, we’ve just been playing good ball and everybody’s been contributing. Hasn’t been many games where me and AD shot the ball, I think we were 12-for-36 from the field, but the rest of the guys picked us up. So myself and AD were just trying to do everything else that we could, AD getting offensive rebounds and making free throws down the stretch, I continued to find my guys. Obviously a big-time shot by DLo in that strong corner by their bench. It was a good all-around team win.”
Davis echoed those thoughts, adding that in these playoffs the Lakers are going to need these types of outings as the opposition focuses on limiting him and James:
“Everything. I think me and LeBron were like 12-for-36 or something like that. DLo, AR, Rui, TP, Gabe, Jaxson, those were the guys that really won the game for us. Me and Bron sprinkled in some makes every now and then but the way those guys played kept us in the game, got us the big lead and ultimately won the game for us. That’s what we’re gonna need. Teams are gonna try to take me and Bron away, we need the rest of the guys to play how they did tonight.”
This victory required a full team effort and thankfully for the Lakers, they have a pair of superstars who can affect the game in so many ways. While their shooting was off, LeBron dished out nine assists while Davis grabbed six offensive rebounds, including a massive one with under 20 seconds to go and the Lakers up just two. The pair also totaled four steals and five blocks while knocking down a combined 18-of-20 free throws.
At this time of the year, it doesn’t matter how the wins come, just that they keep coming. There won’t be many days where both LeBron and Davis struggle to this extent, but when they do it is good to know that the rest of the team is capable of delivering when it matters most.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis still bothered by back spasms
Now with this victory, the Lakers get a few days off before they take on the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. And no one is more happy for that then Anthony Davis, who played through back spasms in the Play-In Tournament win over the Pelicans.
Davis admitted that the back bothered him throughout the contest, but is happy to get a few days off that will allow him to rest and be back to 100% by the time the Lakers take the court in Denver for a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
