One thing that has not been talked about all that much this season is how well Anthony Davis has played for the Los Angeles Lakers. Although he has been banged up through the years and has had trouble staying healthy, Davis has arguably been having his best season in a Lakers uniform. Playing in all but two games so far this year, Davis has been an elite offensive option and we all know what he is capable of achieving on defense.
Against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, Davis continued to build on his impressive start to the season, dropping 41 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in a 132-131 Lakers' victory. Davis was nearly flawless in this game, shooting 13-for-17 from the floor and 13-for-14 from the free-throw line while hitting both three-pointers he took. His third 40-point game of the season, Davis ended up etching his name in Lakers lore on Tuesday night alongside one of the biggest legends of the game.
Jerry West, also known as The Logo, is one of the greatest players in Lakers history. Having your name mentioned in the same sentence as West's means you did something right. In the case of Davis and his performance on Tuesday night, the Lakers big man became the first player in team history to record at least 40 points while shooting 75 percent from the floor and 90 percent from the free-throw line since West did so in 1969, according to Justin Kubatko of Statitudes.
Davis was one of the main reasons why the Lakers were able to pull out a one-point victory at home on Tuesday night, especially since 20 of his 41 points came in the fourth quarter. Between his aggressiveness in the paint and confidence as a shooter on the perimeter, Davis did everything he needed to in order to put Los Angeles in a position to pick up a much-needed win.
After defeating the Raptors, the Lakers now find themselves 19-19 on the season, just 3.5 games back of the 6-seed in the Western Conference. While they have been slumping as of late, Los Angeles knows they have a chance to win any game they play as long as LeBron James and Davis are on the court together. With performances like the one he had against Toronto, Davis can lead the Lakers to a win on any night.
Davis will look to continue his recent stretch of dominance on Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns.
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