Lakers’ Anthony Davis-led trio makes wild NBA history in LeBron James-less win over Jazz
Even without LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers continued a strong push into the NBA All-Star break with a 138-122 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. The absence of James, who sat out with an ankle injury, opened the door for Rui Hachimura to continue an impressive stretch, as he tallied 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting while knocking down 6-of-8 attempts from three-point range.
While the Lakers were fueled by all five of their starters scoring in double figures, the trio of Anthony Davis (37 points), Hachimura and Austin Reaves (22 points) led the way. They also made some incredible NBA history in the process, becoming the first trio of teammates in history to combine for 95 or more points and not commit a single foul in a game, according to OptaStats.
It's a pretty incredible statistic to see and one that's rare to find, especially when it features two players who spend plenty of time defending the post (Davis and Hachimura had three combined blocks) and a third who's extremely active on the defensive end (Reaves had three steals).
The Lakers had just 13 fouls in the entire game, compared to 21 for the Jazz. D'Angelo Russell (four) and Christian Wood (three) were the only players on the team to pick up more than two fouls in the 16-point victory. Russell was also exceptional for good measure, scoring 11 points and dishing out 17 assists, the most in a single game for the 27-year-old in his career. The 17 assists surpassed a career high that was previously set in the 2021-22 season on March 5 against the Portland Trail Blazers when he dished out 15.
The Lakers have won three games in a row and six of their last seven as the All-Star break gets underway. They'll return to action on Thursday, Feb. 22 on the road against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
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