It is no surprise that the Los Angeles Lakers have reeled off a four-game winning streak as Anthony Davis has looked completely over the calf/Achilles injury that kept him sidelined for over two months.
In the Lakers’ recent win against the Indiana Pacers, Davis turned in another excellent performance as he poured in 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 36 minutes. Davis was efficient scoring the basketball, going 9-of-18 from the field including a dominant first quarter where he scored 17 of the team’s 36 points.
Health has been a major issue for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season and Davis recently suffered a minor groin injury that forced him to miss their game against the Houston Rockets, so it was encouraging to hear Davis say that he is physically feeling good.
“I felt great. Felt good to be back out there after letting the groin rest for a game. It felt good the entire time, felt good after the treatment session after the Houston game and then at practice in between games. It felt good to get the whole team back out there, get our rhythm and our chemistry again. So it felt great.”
Against an undersized and shorthanded Indiana squad, Davis looked to bully his way to the rim and earned 10 free throw attempts in the process. Davis knocked down nine of them and acknowledged that him getting to the line greatly benefits Los Angeles.
“I know it helps our team when I get to the line. It helps me get a rhythm when I get to the line, but being aggressive puts the other team in foul trouble, which puts our team in the bonus and we get some free throws for six, seven-plus minutes to end the quarter.
“I think that it’s beneficial for us throughout the game but it’s all about the scouting report. Coach [Vogel] tells us every game to attack and get fouled a lot and this is one of the teams that he thought that fouls a lot so I was just trying to be aggressive and draw fouls and get to the line.”
This version of Davis is the one that Lakers fans saw during their 2020 NBA Championship run and that is a welcomed sight to see with the playoffs around the corner. The Purple and Gold are at their best when the 28-year-old decides to assert himself offensively, and it was clear against the Pacers that there are few teams that are well-equipped to handle him when he has got it going.
It is unclear whether or not the Lakers will be in the Play-In Tournament as their fate hinges on whether or not the Portland Trail Blazers win against the Denver Nuggets. However, if Davis continues this impressive play it will not matter where L.A. is seeded come postseason time.
Lakers have shot to move up to six seed and avoid play-in tournament
It seemed like a foregone conclusion the Lakers would end up in the Play-In Tournament but the Trail Blazers’ recent loss to the Phoenix Suns opened the door for them to move up. While it is likely the Denver Nuggets rest their key players in order to stay at the four seed, Los Angeles will be watching the score of that game closely in order to see what their playoff outlook will look like.
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