There was a brief moment in Tuesday night’s game where everyone feared for the shoulder of Anthony Davis but later, he notched the best game a Laker has had since Shaquille O’Neal and all was forgotten, a night in the Anthony Davis experience savored for all of the funk and flavor.
Davis had 40 points, 20 rebounds and two assists in the Lakers victory, matching Shaquille O’Neal and becoming the first Lakers to notch such a stat-line since 2003 on the way to a dominant 120-91 win. LeBron James had 23 points and eight assists on the night. The crowd even ended the night with Taco Tuesday chants.
2003 also happens to be the last time the Lakers won a championship. And thanks to The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, we know that Davis’ game was also the first since Wilt Chamberlain to have 40 points, 20 rebounds and 25 free-throws made in 1962! Even though LeBron didn’t have a monster offensive night, it didn’t matter but the Lakers are now 3-1, as opposed to 1-3 like at this time last season.
It should be said that Davis is no stranger to 40-20 games, as nobody has had more in the past decade than he has. He’s done it three times since entering the league in the fall of 2012.
The Lakers fell behind 14-2 in the early going of Tuesday night’s game and things got even worse when Davis went to the locker room to apparently re-tape his right shoulder. A shoulder that Davis irritated in Sunday night’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets when he came up short on a dunk attempt.
Center Jonas Valanciunas was fantastic in the middle for the Grizzlies, while veteran swingman Jae Crowder provided credible role play on the wing and solid shooting. The Grizzlies young studs Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks all also looked quite comfortable. But that all ended in the 2nd quarter.
The second and third quarters for the Lakers were big moments for them to prove how stout they can be defensively. The Grizzlies shot just 30 percent in the 2nd quarter and while Davis spent part of the 2nd quarter in the locker room, the Lakers still outscored them.
L.A. showed their pedigree in the 3rd quarter as they nearly doubled-up the Grizzlies and leveraged their size to their advantage on the glass.
Now the Lakers await the potential return of Kyle Kuzma on the upcoming road trip, which begins Friday in Dallas against the 3-1 Mavericks.
