How Anthony Davis Powered Through Punch In The Face To Fuel Lakers Win

On Tuesday night, your Los Angeles Lakers stole a much-needed 112-103 win over the now-No. 3-seeded Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena. Both teams were missing their best players and leading scorers, in All-Stars LeBron James and Ja Morant, respectively, plus another major starter in LA point guard D'Angelo Russell and Grizzlies center Steven Adams.

A big reason why, on both ends, was the superlative play of eight-time All-Star LA center Anthony Davis.

Davis finished with 30 points while shooting 11-of-17 from the field and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe, a season-high 22 rebounds, three assists (against seven turnovers), and two blocks a night.

But it almost looked for a minute there like Davis may not have been able to suit up for the game's second half. Midway through the game's second half, he was hit in the nose by rookie Grizzlies small forward David Roddy.

Here's the injury:

Anthony Davis started bleeding after he took a hit to the face from David Roddy. pic.twitter.com/2DrZ5tkJrT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 8, 2023

After the game, Davis spoke with TNT about playing through the ailment:

“It’s still bleeding, but we gotta win basketball games. … It’s a must-win, every game we play from here on out.” @AntDavis23 left it all out on the court tonight. pic.twitter.com/IgpBT45SKg
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 8, 2023

“[Davis' nose is] still bleeding, but we gotta win basketball games. Do all I can to come out and compete every night night and help this team get victories," Davis explained.

"It’s a must-win, every game we play from here on out, 15 games left, 16 whatever the number is, nothing changed tonight. Our ball club did a good job of competing on both ends of the floor, a little carryover from the game before against Golden State. And we felt like we owed this team one. We let one slip away in Memphis. Obviously Ja was a big part of that, but no matter who they have on the floor they're a threat, with [Desmond] Bane and [Jaren] Jackson and all those guys, [reserve guard Tyus] Jones.”

Davis has been on a tear of late. Across the four games he's played since LeBron James' latest injury (a right tendon ailment), the 6'10" big man has been averaging 33.8 points on shooting splits of .554/.400/.796, 13.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 blocks a night.

Are you following us on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube yet? Join the conversation as we discuss the latest Lakers news and rumors with fans like you!