USA Today via Reuters
Feb 4, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battle for a loose ball during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Feb 4, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battle for a loose ball during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered an early scare before beating the Denver Nuggets tonight. They had a slow start, but after a brilliant comeback, they won 113-94. They won convincingly despite star Anthony Davis scoring just 13 points in 33 minutes.
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Currently, he is only averaging 21.9 points per game, compared to his 26.1 points per game last season. So unsurprisingly, he was asked about these offensive struggles during the post-game press conference.
Davis replied, “I’m a two-way player. I don’t rely on offense for me to have a great season. I’m doing everything I can on the defensive end. So when you are a two-way player, you don’t have to rely on one aspect of your game which is scoring. I can help my team win on the defensive end and make shots when I need to.”
Anthony Davis on his offensive struggles (1/2): "I'm a two-way player. I don't rely on offense for me to have a great season. I'm doing everything I can on the defensive end…"
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 5, 2021
Anthony Davis makes up for his offensive absence with a defensive masterclass
Davis scored just 13 points tonight, but it still came off an efficient 5-8 shooting. He didn’t need to score more for the Lakers and instead showed up on the defensive end. He restricted Nuggets star Nikola Jokic to just 13 points, off a terrible 6-16 shooting. Prior to this game, Jokic was averaging 27.3 points per game, so AD’s defensive resilience didn’t allow him to excel tonight.
At his best, Jokic can single-handedly win games for the Nuggets. In his last game, he scored a massive 47 points against two-time DPOY Rudy Gobert to lead the Nuggets to a win over the Jazz. This makes AD’s performance even more special, as he kept out Jokic, despite him coming into the game on a good run.
USA Today via Reuters
Feb 4, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) defends against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second quarter at Staples Center. Davis was called for a foul on the play. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Davis also had three steals and two blocks to complete this total defensive masterclass. Last year, he finished second in the DPOY race, and this time he is doing his best to step up and prove those voters wrong.
The Lakers’ talented rotation doesn’t force him to step up as a scorer on a nightly basis like last season. They now have Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell who can score 15-20 points every game. This allows Davis to play more freely and focus more on defense against matchups with players like Jokic.
He will be keen to keep up this form till the end of the season to help the Lakers finish top of the Western Conference.
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