With LeBron James out of the Los Angeles Lakers lineup, Anthony Davis was called on to play a bigger role. The nine-time NBA All-Star was central in the Lakers impressive 128-124 comeback win against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee was always going to be a tough matchup for a Lakers team that was without their star player. Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Bucks entered the game ranked second in the Eastern Conference with a 46-25 record. They dominated early and took a commanding 58-42 lead into halftime and led by as many as 19 before a memorable rally by Davis and his teammates saw the Lakers fightback to edge a victory in overtime.
Davis was outstanding on the night, finishing with 34 points, 23 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He shot 12-31 from the field and also contributed with 3 three-pointers.
After the game, former NBA center Shaquille O’Neil talked about Davis exceptional form and his potential.
“He knows how I feel about him… His mother and father came up to me and said, ‘We want you to stay on our boy,’ because, I know what he’s capable of.”
"He knows how I feel about him… His mother and father came up to me and said, 'We want you to stay on our boy,' because, I know what he's capable of." 💯@SHAQ gives AD some praise after his dominant night in the Lakers comeback 🤝 pic.twitter.com/iFJzCT6rIi
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 27, 2024
Anthony Davis currently leads the Lakers roster in rebounds (12.6), blocks (2.4) and minutes (35.9) on the season. He ranks second on the team in points (24.7) behind only LeBron James.
Tuesday’s victory keeps Darvin Ham’s team in the race for a play-in spot. With just 10 games remaining in the season, they currently sit ninth place in the Western Conference with a 40-32 record and hold a slender 2.5 game lead over the Golden State Warriors.
