After a tentative first half, Anthony Davis came alive for the Los Angeles Lakers in their impressive 122-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
AD scored 7 points before halftime then exploded for 14 in the third quarter. Davis finished with 27 points (10-of-18 from the field, 7-of-10 from the line), to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Coming out of the locker room, the most noticeable change in Davis' approach was his level of aggression. Instead of settling for jumpers or deferring to teammates, he started attacking the rim with vigor. An aggressive AD is always the best AD.
Darvin Ham had another explanation for Davis' timely charge.
“His dumb**s coach started calling more plays for him,” said the Lakers skipper. “He and I have talked, and I told him I'm force-feeding him and just be aggressive. Don't worry about it, just be aggressive going to the rim. He did that tonight. He had a swagger about him. He wasn't settling. He's one of the best mid-range shooters I've ever been around — more than capable of knocking down 3s. But, again, he was loving and living in the paint tonight. And that's the AD we need.”
AD is FEELING IT in the 3rd quarter 😤
He had 14 points on 6/10 shooting in the 3rd quarter alone 👀pic.twitter.com/eKrTTrtAv4
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 23, 2023
Ham credited Davis' willingness to put the ball on the floor with getting the Suns in foul trouble. Los Angeles took 26 and made 21 more free throws than Phoenix, causing Suns head coach Monty Williams to vent his frustration at the postgame podium.
D'Angelo Russell (26 points, 6 assists) went 5-of-7 from the line, while Austin Reaves (25 points, 11 assists) made 12-of-13 — bringing his two-game total to 31.
“46 free throws is a lot,” said Reaves. “But, if you get downhill a lot, and you have guys like AD and DLo who are really crafty, you're gonna get a lot of fouls.”
Austin Reaves: : "46 free throws is a lot. But, if you get downhill a lot, and you have guys like AD and DLo who are really crafty, you're gonna get a lot of fouls."
Austin, meanwhile, has taken 31 FTs over the past 2 games and is among the NBA leaders in FTA since All-Star. https://t.co/NTmA0DyYGj
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) March 23, 2023
“I'm just trying to play the right way,” added Reaves, who is among the league-leaders in free throw attempts since the All-Star break. “Obviously without (LeBron James) try to be a little bit more aggressive and try to fill the void. … I'm just trying to use my pivots and get good looks. I'm not going to get fouled or anything. Just trying to play the right way.”
Davis' third-quarter burst was a welcome sight after his 15-point, 6-0f-15 showing against the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Ham's remarks after the Suns win call to mind the message he said AD wrote in the coach's office during the preseason: “Throw the ball to AD.”
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