How good was Los Angeles Lakers star big man Anthony Davis in their 120-109 win at home over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday?
Good enough to pull off an incredible single-game feat that had not been seen in the NBA since Hakeem Olajuwon did it in the late 1980s. Davis was even years away from being born when The Dream accomplished it.
Via OptaSTATS:
“Anthony Davis (27 points, 25 rebounds & 10 stops) is now the second NBA player in the last 40 seasons with at least 25 points, 25 rebounds and 10 defensive stops (steals + blocks) in a game, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (32 points, 25 rebounds & 13 stops vs. Magic in December 1989).”
Anthony Davis Led The Way For The Los Angeles Lakers Against The Banged-Up Timberwolves
Davis was a man on a mission versus the Timberwolves. With Minnesota’s frontcourt thinned out by the absences of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Los Angeles Lakers made sure to get Davis plenty of touches.
He scored 27 points on 9/17 shooting from the floor and also went 9/13 on his free-throw attempts. When he was not making shots, he was busy dominating the glass. He had 15 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds. On the season, the former Kentucky Wildcats star is averaging 24.8 points on 55.5 percent shooting from the field, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per outing.
Davis, however, was not the only Los Angeles Lakers player who had a big performance opposite the Timberwolves, with LeBron James and Austin Reaves scoring 29 and 19 points, respectively.
Davis is not going to put up the same numbers every game, but the Lakers need him to be consistently productive amid their chase for a sure spot in the NBA playoffs. The Lakers improved to 36-30 after the win against Minnesota, good for ninth in the Western Conference standings. The Lakers are still two games outside of the top six in the conference, but at least they are gaining momentum as they head to the final stretch of their schedule in the regular season.
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