Lakers News: Anthony Davis Praises L.A.'s Late-Game Two-Way Play In Win Over Portland
In strangling the life out of the visiting Portland Trail Blazers last night, 128-109, your Los Angeles Lakers submitted their first comfortable double-digit victory over a respectable team since beating the Brooklyn Nets two weeks ago.
The win moved the Lakers to a still-not-great 8-12 record on the 2022-23 season, while Portland fell back to .500, 11-11. If the season ended tomorrow, both clubs would still be on the outside of the play-in tournament looking in, but that reality speaks in part to the depth and quality of the Western Conference.
Anthony Davis has really begun to assert himself as the team's best player, even if he's not always the team's No. 1 option on offense (he had fewer points than LeBron James last night, though James happened to be enjoying a particularly prolific game of his own).
Davis chipped in 27 points (while shooting 9-of-17 from the field), 12 rebounds, three blocks, a steal and an assist across just 29:08! Last night marked the seventh consecutive game in which Davis notched 25 or more point and 12 or more rebounds.
Following yet another dominant two-way game, AD reflected on L.A.'s improved play of late in general, and during this Portland contest in particular, with reporters.
"[We're] right where we need to be," Davis said. "We let some [games] slip away, but I think we're clicking at the right time. Obviously [starters] Troy [Brown Jr.] and Lonnie [Walker IV] were out with their respective injuries, but I think this team is starting to gel on both ends of the floor. We had a good conversation yesterday about our late-game execution after... Monday's game [they blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead against the Pacers]. We executed tonight towards the end of the game, so I think we're just slowly chipping away. We know how good we are, but we've got to produce on the floor."
L.A. will now hit the road for what could be an intense six-game trip, featuring games against formidable competitors like the Milwaukee Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Toronto Raptors.
