[ad_1]
Anthony Davis might have performed better as a crisis facilitator than ever before in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, but the big man All-Star was still hypercritical of his Game.
“Right now, to be hard on myself man, I think I’m a sucker right now,” Davis said after finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. “I don’t shoot. I don’t do free throws. But I think my aggression tonight, [post-up threat] and get to the painting, allowed the guys to open up. “
He missed 10 of 18 shots he attempted – shooting just 44.4% compared to the 53.2% clip he entered on the night when logging on this season. And he’s gone just 2 for 5 from the foul line, which has made the 80.1% career free throw shooter just 14 for 22 (63.6%) in his last three games.
His death, however, turned out to be a factor of difference. The Lakers lost 3-for-3 to Davis streams in the final three minutes, allowing Los Angeles to turn a game with one possession into a relatively comfortable win.
It was the most number of assists he had ever had in clutch time in a game of his career.
He laced a flat at Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to increase LA’s lead from two to five with 2 minutes, 42 seconds remaining; he found Alex Caruso in the corner for another 3 to put the Lakers by seven a minute later; and he set up LeBron James for a 3 with 1:04 to go to give his team an eight-point cushion. The final flurry sealed the victory and allowed the Lakers to extend their road winning streak to 8-0 to start the season.
“I trust my teammates. AC hit one for me. Bron hit one and Kenny hit one, and they’re in the right places where I want guys when I have the ball at the post,” explained Davis. “And just [am] able to do the reading with their guys doubling up or collapsing on the paint when I got there, and I was able to throw it in and these guys did hits. “
While Davis finished with under 20 points for the fifth game in a row – his longest under-20 streak last season was limited to just three games in bubble ranking matches when LA had already locked the lead of series # 1 – his assists have increased.
Five of Davis’ six assists against the Bucks led to a 3-pointer for LA – tied for the most 3s he’s ever helped in a single game of his career – and his 13 assists in the last two matches are the most he’s ever had in a two-game period since joining the Lakers.
James explained that he knew Davis had this passing ability in him from the start, but rarely got a chance to flaunt it in New Orleans because the teams would play him one-on-one. , thinking he couldn’t beat them all on his own.
“But I felt like since he’s been here he’s so good that I know eventually he’s going to see a lot of doubles,” said James.
Once those doubles arrive, James said, Davis has been trained to spot the lanes he can target to find open teammates.
“He keeps growing with every game. With every shoot of the movie, we kind of break down those things – what he sees on the floor,” James said. “Tonight was another example of him just seeing the other side of the floor and getting the ball on time, on the target and the guys knocking it over.”
Like Davis, Lakers coach Frank Vogel left the victory unsatisfied, even though the Bucks came in second in offensive efficiency overnight and averaging 120.4 points per game and the Lakers the have maintained well below this production.
“Well, we’ve got to be better,” Vogel said. “We didn’t play our best basketball game tonight.”
That’s the tone of a team looking for something much more substantial than a regular season win in January.
“My aggression tonight,” Davis said, “it’s the only way I can get myself out of this funk or whatever I’m into.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be a better basketball player every game, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”
[ad_2]
Source link