LOS ANGELES – It was the Anthony Davis show on Sunday night at the Staples Center as the Los Angeles Lakers played host to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Davis dominated from the tipoff to the final buzzer with the superstar dropping a season-high 50 points.
Davis had 27 points before halftime and kept it going in the second half as Karl-Anthony Towns, and the Timberwolves had no answer for the perennial All-Star. Along with his game-high 50 points, in which he accomplished without a single three-pointer, Davis finished with seven rebounds, six assists, four steals, and a block.
“It was very special to do something like that in front of these great fans, with this historical franchise and with my teammates especially with the way we've been playing,” Davis said. “It was nothing but amazing.”
“You just want the ball. It kept going in. My teammates kept giving me the ball and telling me to go get 50. At that point, you try to go get 50.”
LeBron James also had a solid effort against the Timberwolves as he added 32 points and 13 assists. James talked about Davis' impressive performance after the Lakers recorded their 21st win of the season.
“I just keep feeding him,” LeBron said of Davis. “I mean, he was efficient all night. Getting the ball exactly where he wanted it either in the mid-post, low post, perimeter. He can do it all. It’s our job to continue getting him the ball.
“Well, for me and AD, it starts with us. If we're on the same page, it makes it a lot easier on the rest of the ball club and that's both on and off the floor. We're just trying to lead by example, lead by and command by our voices, lead by our play and see where it takes us. It's been pretty good for us so far.”
Head coach Frank Vogel also talked about Davis' all-around performance after the game. Vogel was most impressed by the fact Davis could get it done on both ends with a kind of old-school flare.
“The first things that stick out to me are the four steals, a block and great defense for all 39 minutes he was out there,” Vogel said. “To perform on that end of the floor and anchor us and then still go for 50, in what I feel is an old-school, smash-mouth way of getting 50 … No threes, right? 20-for-29 and did it at the free-throw line. Post-ups, offensive rebounds, crashes, all those types of things – just an old-school performance and one for the ages.”
With this victory over the Timberwolves, the Lakers are back on track with four wins in a row after losing to the Dallas Mavericks back on Dec. 1. Los Angeles continues to still atop of the Western Conference with an NBA-best record of 21-3.
Davis and the red-hot Lakers will now embark on a five-game road trip, which concludes with a potential NBA Finals preview against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks. It would get easier once they return to the Staples Center on Dec. 22 when they face the Denver Nuggets and then go head-to-head against Kawhi Leonard's L.A. Clippers on Christmas Day.
Follow Us
Subscribe