With Anthony Davis sidelined for Wednesday night’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors, JaVale McGee stepped up big for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers center dominated the glass throughout the evening by collecting 17 rebounds against his former team. That total was four more rebounds than Golden State’s starting five, combined.
The Lakers finished with a 120-94 victory.
To go along with a season-high 17 boards, McGee also scored a season-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shots in support of 23 points and 12 assists from LeBron James. McGee grabbed 12 defensive rebounds, five of them on the offensive end, and also blocked three shots. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard came off the bench to deliver a 15-point, eight-rebound performance in relief of McGee, who has started every game at the center spot this season
Following the win, the former Warrior talked about the impact a traditional center like he and Dwight can still have on today’s game, telling reporters after the game:
I feel like because of Golden State, the whole league has gone away from the standard big man. So me and Dwight are definitely working hard to bring it back. Just letting people know that it’s necessary for a big man in the game. And where better to do it than where the best big men played.
If I’m having a bad game, then he’s picking me up. If he’s having a bad game, then I’m picking him up. If we’re both having a good game, we’re winning the game. … Like Golden State, who had the opportunity to make teams go small, I feel like we have the opportunity to make people go big.
If McGee continues to have dominant performances like he did on Wednesday, the Lakers will most certainly make teams consider going big to match up against them as the season moves on. This will especially be the case when Davis is healthy and back in the lineup, and if they’re also getting the type of production they did from Howard during the win over Golden State.
