Getty Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James
LeBron James showered Anthony Davis with praise after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
“The King” talked about how “The Brow” is the latest superstar big man to play for the Lakers.
“The Lakers franchise over the years, over the course of their existence, has always had dominant big men. Dominant guys that have been a force at the rim,” James said. “And that’s why their jerseys are in the rafters. And AD will be up there when he’s done playing. And the No. 3 will be up in the rafters. And he continues to show why he’s one of the best players that we have in this league. And for us, it’s a treat for us to be able to have such a dynamic player that can not only go out and get you 30 and 20, but also command the paint defensively, can switch out to guards and also give you five assists as well.”
Davis was unstoppable in Game 1. The Chicago native put up 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in 44 minutes while shooting 11-of-19 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Davis is the first Laker with 30 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game since Shaquille O’Neal in the 2004 Finals. He also joined Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Elgin Baylor as the only players in franchise history to record a 30-20 game in the playoffs.
“It’s a treat for us,” James said. “It’s a treat for Laker nation. It’s a treat for the franchise to have another one in their franchise that wears the purple and gold.”
Anthony Davis: I Was Aggressive All Game
Davis told reporters that his teammates gave him the ball in positions to be successful, which allowed him to be aggressive all game.
“The guys just gettin’ the ball to me in the right spots,” Davis said. “A lot of it came out of pick-and-roll. Couple post-ups. Some offensive rebounds. But just being aggressive when I do catch (the ball). Looking to score or looking to play-make to other guys. But it was the guards finding me early, which allowed them to play free later on in the game.”
The Lakers won Game 1 by a final score of 117-112 despite getting outscored by the Warriors 24-21 in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead in Game 2, which is on May 4.
D’Angelo Russell on Anthony Davis: ‘He’s Been Dominating the Playoffs’
Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell had nothing but positive things to say about Davis as well after Game 1. The lefty told reporters that AD has been “dominating the playoffs.”
“Big. Huge. Huge. Huge performance,” Russell said. “He’s been dominating the playoffs. Gets a lot of hate from the media throughout the year, and I wasn’t a part of it, but I don’t know what you could say about the guy. He’s on the court for almost the whole game. Last series, he dominated when he’s out there. Never asked for a sub. Never asked for a break. If he can play, he’ll dominate the game. If he can’t play, he can’t play.”
Davis is averaging 22.1 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in the playoffs thus far. He leads the postseason in blocks per game.