Lakers News: Anthony Davis Credits Brooklyn Nets' Defensive Choice For Second-Half Assertiveness
Your Los Angeles Lakers finally won a game last night, their third of the 2022-23 season, against Kevin Durant and the rest of the available Brooklyn Nets.
The biggest factor behind the 116-103 victory? L.A. center Anthony Davis.
Davis, despite having been listed as "probable" to play due to a nagging sore lower back, turned in his best game of the year by far, scoring 37 points on 15-of-25 shooting while getting into the paint at will. He also pulled down 18 rebounds for good measure.
"I think for all of us, we had a great film session yesterday," Davis remarked when asked about what contributed to the team's somewhat surprising success in winning against a solid club without LeBron James available. "Just talked about some schemes we were seeing late-game, talked about finishing out quarters... We come out, [held] this team to 103, knowing that they played yesterday, just trying to wear KD down."
When it was asked how Davis knew to be so assertive in seeking out his own offense during the game's second half, the 6'10" Kentucky product was surprisingly candid, citing Brooklyn's shortsighted defensive schemes.
"It's the first game that I've seen in the second half that they didn't come double," Davis noted. "So I had a lot of one-on-ones and just [tried] to be aggressive. Usually in the first half there's one-on-one [coverage] and in the second half they send a double team right on the catch so [I try] to make plays. Seeing that they [weren't] doubling at all, I decide to... go to work and get a bucket or if I don't have a shot, then make the right play for my teammates."
The Lakers will get a four-day reprieve before suiting up again on Friday, and hope to get James back in time for their next contest, an actually winnable game against a team with an identical 3-10 record.
