Coming off an overtime loss on Sunday to the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers had no time to regroup as they had a back-to-back, playing the Orlando Magic at home on Monday.
The Magic were 2-0 heading into their matchup with L.A., as they are a young and feisty team looking to make noise in the Eastern Conference. Orlando has been a rebuilding team the past few seasons, but they can no longer be taken lightly.
It was a nail-biting 106-103 victory for the Lakers after Magic guard Jalen Suggs missed the game-tying 3 at the buzzer. Anthony Davis led the way with 26 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and three blocks, continuing his dominance after a lackluster Opening Night performance. D’Angelo Russell spoke about Davis’ performance on Monday, commending his rebounding and other ways he impacts the game, which is something he’s gotten to witness since they became teammates.
“I mean, I can speak on his rebounding, but I mean, I’ve been playing against him for years, and I never seen his level of play; it’s not a wavering thing like everybody kind of says. He still finds a way to dominate the game. If it’s not on the stat sheet … teams fear him, and for our group, knowing what he’s capable of on the offensive end and the defensive end. I mean, we never lose any love or trust in what he’s capable of. And being a part of what we did last year and seeing his level of play kind of … I mean, I wasn’t surprised or shocked, but I was kind of in awe because I see how it kind of progressed over the time we were together so I know what he’s capable of, and there’s no surprise for that guy.”
Davis has been on a tear the past few games, propelling the Lakers to a needed bounce back win. The big man made a crucial stop late in the fourth quarter against Suggs, who drove to the basket in an attempt to give the Magic the lead.
The ability for Davis to be an elite rim protector while chipping in 20-30 points and 10 or more rebounds is a huge boost to the Lakers’ success. Russell also contributed 28 points, but things still got dicey at the end.
L.A. has to clean up the second chance points as the Kings and Magic have dominated the glass. However, Davis and company have been competitive through their first four games, while the results may not have resulted in wins.
Davis was ‘locked in’ for game against Magic after losing night before
One of the positives of playing back-to-back is that a team like the Lakers coming off a loss HAS the ability to bounce back and get a win in less than 24 hours. After losing a winnable game against the Kings, Davis admits he was ‘locked in’ for Monday’s game.
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