The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup on Saturday by putting away the Indiana Pacers 123-109. LeBron James added to his hardware collection by being named the in-season tournament MVP, and he deserved it, as he was dominant at times during the Lakers’ seven tourney games.
But on Saturday, the most dominant player on the court, by far, was Anthony Davis.
He scored 41 points on an incredible 16-of-24 shooting, gobbled up 20 rebounds, blocked four shots and added five assists. Although Pacers starting center Myles Turner is a good player in his own right, he looked like a very mediocre player by comparison.
Afterward, James gave Davis some massive praise by comparing the big man’s performance to the ones Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal used to put forth.
LeBron on AD's 41 PTS and 20 REB in the In-Season Tournament Championship:
"That was a Shaq-like dominant performance." pic.twitter.com/53kINiNaXI
— NBA (@NBA) December 10, 2023
Davis continues to have many critics who exaggerate how often he fails to play up to his potential and accuse him of being lazy, soft and unmotivated. But he is clearly one of the most talented and capable players in the NBA, and he is consistently a beast defensively and on the boards.
