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Lakers’ Anthony Davis Reveals Their Aggressive Mentality That Helps Them Win On the Road

Published 01/24/2021, 2:23 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers are 9-0 on the road after a 101-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls. They are now 13-4 overall and have not lost even two games in a row in the 2020-21 season. Topping the WC chart, the Lakers are on their way to replicate last season’s success.

The architect of these victories is obviously the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, it was the latter who shined in the game against the Bulls. The men in Golden and Purple enjoyed a dominant first half where they set the ground for victory with a 63-33 score. So what was the strategy that helped them win?

Anthony Davis reveals the secret sauce

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USA Today via Reuters

AD had been rusty from the offensive end in the past few games. He could not score more than 19 points in the five games before the match against the Bulls. The power forward was still managing double-doubles, but the team was heavily relying on LeBron for the offensive advantage

However, all that changed in his hometown, Chicago. In the post-game interview, AD expressed, “Just came out really aggressive. I put a lot of pressure on myself too, to be better, to help the team win. I was able to see the ball going tonight, which is very good. I think it was a great team win. They got away from us in the third quarter, 33 points in the third. We could have scored, but we got the control over the game… it is always good to win back at home.”

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It was a poor show for the Lakers from downtown. The unit attempted 19 threes and converted only four at 21.1%. Fortunately, AD alone dropped 11 shots from inside the paint and scored 66.7% from the field. The Bulls made a 57-38 comeback in the second half but it proved too less, too late. 

About this, AD exclaimed, “We’re not gonna rely on three, if we’re making them, that’s fine. But, we can also go into the paint… score from there as well. So tonight was one of the nights when the ball didn’t go in from three, so the coach wanted us to get in the paint and so touch the paint and make sure we go to the free-throw line… we can win in different ways.”

What is helping the Lakers win on the road?

The Lakers are 4-4 at their home court, but unwilling to drop even a single game on the go. Last year, mid-way through the season, the Lakers were 19-4 in away games and it looks like they can better that record this year. 

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Anthony Davis agreed to the psychological advantage from such streaks as he added, “Oh yeah, you’re gonna have to win in a row. One point in the time into the playoffs, you’re gonna have the row victory. We just wanna make sure… we keep warrior mentality. Any time we step on the floor, especially on the road, we only have ourselves here, so we try to rally around each other and make sure we have the energy to give the row wins.”

This speaks volumes about the killer mentality of Frank Vogel’s squad. They have a great bench strength with an upcoming star in Talen Horton-Tucker and a high-ceiling Kyle Kuzma to back the starters. 

The Lakers will next face the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are riding high after two wins against the Nets.

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Do the Cavs stand a chance?

Read also – Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal Reveals His Feelings Behind Team’s 2020 NBA Championship

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Written by:

Sourabh Singh

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Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.
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