LeBron James Praises Anthony Davis After 120-107 Win Over 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers were hobbled, but the Lakers didn't overlook them.
That would be sacrilegious.
"Everyone’s an NBA player and we all got here for a reason," LeBron James said after the Lakers' 120-107 win over the 76ers on Tuesday. "So you don’t ever disrespect that. You don’t ever disrespect the Game Gods."
The Lakers didn't dare do that against a 76ers team that was missing three starters in Joel Embiid (sprained left shoulder), Ben Simmons (lower back nerve impingement) and Josh Richardson (concussion protocol).
Well, at least not in the last three quarters.
The Lakers opened Tuesday's game lackadaisically. But in the second quarter they turned a 13-point deficit into an 11-point advantage at halftime behind Anthony Davis, who had 18 points on seven-for-seven shooting in 8 minutes and 14 seconds.
Davis took over the game during that stretch with a stunning barrage of three-pointers, jumpers and dunks, sending the crowd at Staples Center onto their feet screaming.
What changed in the second quarter?
"The defense. The crowd. My teammates," Davis said. "I started off really slow, missing some easy shots [that were] wide open. Just trying to figure out how I can kind of get myself going. And it started with the defensive end, coming out and just being hungry defensively and making the right plays. And then that leads to our offense, and once one guy got it going, [it's] kind of contagious and we all just got it going on offense."
Davis finished with a game-high 37 points on 13-for-19 shooting, 13 rebounds and four steals.
After the game, James was asked if Davis has met his expectations this season.
"It’s everything I expected and more," said James, who had 22 points and 14 assists. "Obviously that’s why I wanted him here. When you get a generational talent like that and you got an opportunity to get him, you just try to do whatever you can to get him. I gave my opinion on what I thought he could bring to this franchise. I gave my thoughts about the player. But not only the player, the person."
The Lakers listened to James, orchestrating a trade that brought Davis to Los Angeles this past offseason.
It's been a beautiful partnership.
They play well together, they're close friends off the court and they apparently have a positive reciprocal effect on each other.
James is a three-time NBA champion, who made eight-straight Finals appearances from 2011-2018. Davis has only been to the playoffs twice, never making it past the second round.
"Anthony is a player in his prime who can do it all," Lakers' coach Frank Vogel said. "But to be around LeBron on a day-to-day basis, to see how he works, to see how he prepares, to see his mind and how he dissects the game before he even starts with the preparation and the film work. His mindset to play through things. All these things, I think, have been great for Anthony to be around and have made him already that much stronger."
Conversely, Davis has also helped James.
"AD has had an effect on LeBron," Dwight Howard said. "I think the way that he’s playing, now LeBron’s saying, ‘I got to step my level of play up because AD, my running partner, every night he’s there.’ So I think he’s made LeBron -- he’s given LeBron new life."
They're both having great seasons.
James, 35, is leading the league in assists (10.6) while also averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. Davis, 26, leads the Lakers in scoring with 26.4 points a game while also averaging 9.4 rebounds.
They were both impressive Tuesday.
During the Lakers' 10-0 run to open the third quarter, James made a 36-foot three-pointer that left his teammates in awe. Davis, Danny Green and JaVale McGee literally went to the spot where he shot from to investigate.
"We just didn’t understand how he shot it that far and it barely hit the net," McGee said. It just went straight in. Yeah, we were confused."
Added Howard: "That was a four-pointer."
With only 22 games left, things are going well for the Lakers, who sit atop the Western Conference with a record of 47-13.
But James is still planning on having a talk with Davis -- and the rest of his teammates -- about their approach as the playoffs inch closer.
They want to raise a trophy at the end of the season. And James knows how hard that is to do.
"My demeanor has shifted a little bit because I know what’s on the horizon," James said.
