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With Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal watching courtside, Anthony Davis made his best Shaq impersonation.
Davis’ monster performance — 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks — led the Lakers to win the inaugural NBA Cup championship which prompted LeBron James to call it “Shaq-like.”
“Absolutely, that was a Shaq-like dominant performance,” James said of Davis after the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 on Saturday, December 9, in Las Vegas. “And we had the big fella (O’Neal) sitting down there by our bench. So, I think [Davis] was inspired. … AD was just dominant. Big time [performance]!”
O’Neal was the last dominant Lakers center before Davis. He led the Lakers to three championships in the early 2000s with the late Kobe Bryant. O’Neal was named NBA Finals MVP in those three Lakers’ title runs.
Davis scored 10 straight points in the fourth quarter that put the game away. During his personal run, he let out a scream, saying “I’m him!”
“I just try to do everything I can to win a basketball game,” Davis told reporters after the game. “Obviously, my teammates put me in a great position to be successful. Obviously, this is special for us, just winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
“But we want to also win the same thing in June. It’s a step in the right direction, obviously, but even though it’s a big performance, it’s another game and we’ve got to continue to get going starting back on Tuesday.”
The Lakers will resume their regular season on Tuesday, December 12, against the Dallas Mavericks, who will be without James’ former teammate Kyrie Irving (foot injury).
LeBron James Named NBA Cup MVP
On Saturday night, Davis was the best player. But James, who added 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists was named the In-Season Tournament MVP.
The 38-year-old James was steady throughout the Lakers’ unbeaten 7-0 run. He averaged 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 56.8% from the field and 60.6% from deep.
Davis’ numbers — 23.3 points, 14.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists while shooting 52.5% from the field — were solid too. But James had a better net rating (plus-16.6 versus Davis’ plus-14.0).
LeBron James Reiterates Desire to Own Las Vegas Team
After spending three days in Las Vegas, soaking in the atmosphere and the crowd, James reiterated his desire to bring an NBA expansion team to the Sin City.
“My enthusiasm about being here post-career has not changed,” James said. “The fans are amazing here. Like I said, they have everything here already — WNBA team, baseball team, NFL, hockey teams. F1 was just here over Thanksgiving.”
“It’s a place that you love, great attractions and I think the NBA will be another great addition to the city. Obviously, we see the success with the [NBA] Summer League and things of that nature and the Aces as well. So it would be fun!”
James already owns minority stakes in the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC with his investments in the Fenway Sports Group. He is the first active NBA player who became a billionaire, according to Forbes.
James and the Fenway Sports Group are working with RedBird Capital founder and managing partner Gerry Cardinale to bring the next pro sports team to Las Vegas.
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