Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was happy to take the backseat to Anthony Davis in Game 2 of their Western Conference Finals series against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
The tightly-contested match came down to the last second, as Davis put the purple and gold in his back to score the game-winning triple to give the West's number one seed a 105-103 win.
Speaking to reporters post-game, James explained that his tight bond and give-and-take relationship with Davis allowed them to co-exist on and off the floor. LeBron even admitted that Davis' fine play in the second half bailed his team out, after his rather pedestrian outing in the final 24 minutes of the game.
Lakers’ LeBron James on close relationship w/ Anthony Davis: “I’m happy to be here with him to give him any advice or for him to lean on me. To be completely honest, in the second half, s—, I leaned on him and he brought us home.” pic.twitter.com/sbAS7iv0Wv
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 21, 2020
Anthony Davis was undoubtedly the star on Sunday after putting up 31 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal on top of that game-winner. LeBron James, meanwhile, had quite a game of his own, pitching in 26 points, 11 rebounds, four dimes, and two steals. However, he was rather ineffective for the Lakers down the stretch, particularly when Denver mounted their comeback in the final minutes of regulation.
Still, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel drew the final play for James. The Nuggets defense, of course, denied The King from receiving the ball in the inbound play, but somehow forgot to close out the red-hot Davis. The Brow obviously made them pay, despite Nikola Jokic's best efforts to recover and contest the shot.
Davis was truly a godsend for LA, scoring the last 10 points for the purple and gold. His valiant effort overcame Jokic's own herculean showing, after making the Nuggets' final 12 points of the ball game.
Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic scored the last 22 points in Game 2.
Battle of the Bigs.
(Submitted by @kyler012) pic.twitter.com/KZW9AdZ1Kb
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 21, 2020
LeBron James, meanwhile, will certainly take solace in the fact that he will always have a teammate of Anthony Davis' caliber to help close out games. The Lakers will need more of this terrific tandem in the coming games, as they need two more wins to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.
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