Lakers News: Anthony Davis Outlines Strategy For Nuggets Series
After (barely) vanquishing his old team, the New Orleans Pelicans, 110-106 last night thanks in part to the late-game exit of star power forward Zion Williamson with a possible left hamstring injury, Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center Anthony Davis has weighed in on LA's next matchup: a 2-7 first round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. Denver beat LA during the Western Conference Finals last year, in a competitive four-game sweep.
“If they beat us, they beat us,” Anthony Davis informed Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “We’re not ducking the smoke.”
Davis essentially laid out LA's strategy for besting the Nuggets this time: prioritizing defense and embracing quick offense.
“We got to lay out hats on defense,” Davis said. “So it’s not going to be easy, but if we continue to have the faith and the trust in each other defensively, we can hold these guys especially to one shot and out of transition and in the half court. And do everything with pace. Play with a lot of pace. We found that when we play with a lot of pace, we’re able to be a great group.”
Per Buha, Los Angeles will either travel to Denver on Thursday or Friday to log a practice ahead of the first game, slated for Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT on ABC.
“I think we’re clicking at the right time,” Davis said. “Guys are playing well. Guys are very confident. Guys are feeling good. And we’re going to need it — especially against Denver.”
Davis scored 20 points on 6-of-16 shooting against New Orleans, grabbed 15 rebounds, blocked three shots and stole one ball. He'll need to shoot a bit more efficiently than that against Denver.
