LeBron James and Anthony Davis continued to stake their claim for best duo in the NBA with their pair of quality performances Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets.
James and Davis led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 120-116 overtime win over the Nuggets. According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, James and Davis became the first pair of Lakers teammates to both score at least 30 points and grab 10 rebounds since Pau Gasol and the late Kobe Bryant accomplished the feat in March 2008.
James had a triple-double, scoring 32 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing 14 assists. Davis scored 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. With the win, the Lakers went into the All-Star break with the best record in the Western Conference.
The Lakers are a franchise filled with historic duos. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar helped lead the Lakers to five titles in the 1980s. Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers to three straight championships from 2000-2002. Bryant and Gasol were the top players on the Lakers’ championship teams in 2009 and 2010.
As the season continues, the Lakers will need more of James’ and Davis’ high-caliber play to remain atop the West. James and Davis are the only other pair of teammates besides Russell Westbrook and James Harden to rank in the top 15 of the league for points per game.
Los Angeles will play against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Staples Center on Feb. 21 in their first game back from the All-Star break.
