Anthony Davis bounced back in a huge way for the Los Angeles lakers on Thursday, leading the way for his team as they made easy work of the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff matchup. Following the win, Davis credited teammate LeBron James for keeping him upbeat after a lackluster Game 1 performance.
According to Davis, LeBron's pre-game pep talk allowed him to remain focused on the bigger picture:
* @AntDavis23 said he was really down on himself after Game 1 due to how he played, but @KingJames talked to him, really helping him to turn around his mental and stay up: “He was there for me to encourage me and keep me level headed because it was just one game.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) August 21, 2020
Davis was absolutely on point on Thursday, finishing with 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting, along with 11 boards, three assists, a steal, and a block in just 29 minutes of action. The superstar big man also drained three out of his four shots from deep on the evening, as he led L.A. to a crucial Game 2 victory to tie the series at 1-1.




For his part, LeBron did not exactly light it up in this one, going 4-of-11 from the field for just 10 points. He did collect six rebounds and dished out seven assists, but also turned the rock over six times. Nevertheless, the Lakers were able to emerge with an easy victory against the Blazers.
This was a convincing win for the Lakers, as they have now reestablished themselves as the favorites in this series. Then again, this was just one win, and the series is tied at one game apiece. Portland is still very much in this series, and they can still pull off a huge upset in this first-round matchup.
The Blazers, however, will hope to get Damian Lillard back for Game 3, after the bubble MVP was forced to exit Thursday's contest with a dislocated finger.