You might assume that Anthony Davis injuring his foot in the first quarter and exiting at halftime against two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the red-hot Denver Nuggets would spell doom for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Assume again.

The Lakers didn't just withstand Davis' absence; they cruised to victory. (AD will have his right foot re-evaluated on Saturday morning.)

A bevy of players, led by LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, stepped up to deliver the Lakers (12-16) one of their most encouraging wins of the 2022-23 season, 126-108. Let's highlight some noteworthy performances, though there were more.

LeBron James

Since AD seized the reins as the Lakers' best player, LeBron has settled into his gig as World's Best Sidekick. He can play any style on any given possession. He's the most malleable player in NBA history.

On Friday, he produced his third straight 30-point performance — the oldest player to accomplish that specific feat since Michael Jordan. He finished with 30 points (13-of-20 shooting) to go along with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals (he moved into 9th place on the all-time steals list).

LeBron is soon to be 38, but he looks spry enough to step back into the role he's played for 20 years: No. 1 option.

LeBron's eight-point scoring run during a two-minute span in the fourth (culminating with an and-1 layup) put the Lakers up 18 with 3 minutes remaining. Ballgame.

“Especially after the heartbreaking loss we had against Boston, for us to come back a couple nights later and kind of play well at times and then get down and then make a rally and the guys off the bench are making the biggest impact for the game, I think it was huge,” said LeBron.

“We didn’t want that Boston loss to spill into future games. And it can,” Darvin Ham added. “At the end of the day, our guys dug down deep.”

Russell Westbrook

Westbrook shook off a cringeworthy first half replete with turnovers and questionable shot selection to produce perhaps his best second half of the season.

Not all triple-doubles are created equal. Plenty of Westbrook's trip-dubs are more reflective of our societal interest in round numbers or his penchant for stat-chasing rather than his impact on a game.

Not against Denver. Westbrook spurred the Lakers' second-half blitz by pushing the pace, hitting jumpers, and, more important, setting up his teammates. When he's hooping with infectious joy, his teammates respond. (He was even talkative and giddy in his postgame presser.)

“Russ was phenomenal on both sides of the floor,” appraised LeBron.

Westbrook finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, becoming the first Lakers player ever to notch two triple-doubles off the bench. His +25 is telling.

Afterward, he made sure folks remembered that he is, in fact, the league's triple-double king.

Ham specifically shouted out Westbrook's defensive work, switching between various Nuggets players. A stellar two-way performance.

“Russ’ motor is second to none,” stated Ham.

“I live for these moments,” Westbrook said about his teammates feeding off of his playmaking. “That's why I play basketball, to see others do well.”

Thomas Bryant

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Bryant stole the show. He shined as AD's understudy — a part LeBron revealed postgame that Bryant found out last minute he was being asked to play.

The big man exploded for 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He drilled a 3 and converted a slew of momentum-building, tough finishes around the rim.

Bryant's chemistry with Westbrook has been evident since the center returned from thumb surgery. Their two-man game on the second unit will be immensely valuable going forward.

“He came out and a really, really huge effort against a two-time MVP,” Ham said. “Really helped us on both sides of the basketball, just his energy and activity. His no-quit mentality. We needed that. He was a huge burst for us.”

Austin Reaves

The Crypto.com Arena crowd broke into “M-V-P” chants on multiple occasions. Not for LeBron James, Anthony Davis (pre-injury), or Russell Westbrook.

It was for Austin Reaves. Frankly, it's hard to blame them.

The fan-favorite sophomore had his latest winning effort: 16 points (5-9 FG, 2-5 from 3) and a team-high +26 in 30 minutes. At one point in the second half, he scored 10 straight points, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Max Christie

Ham surprised folks when he gave the 19-year-old rookie rotation minutes for a four-game stretch early in the season. When I asked him about it, he noted that Christie was a “smart enough player” to be thrown into any situation.

Ham's confidence was validated on Friday. Christie — who lit it up for South Bay on Wednesday — jumped Kendrick Nunn in the rotation and saw first-quarter minutes. His athleticism, shooting, and perimeter defense were clutch all evening, particularly his back-t0-back threes as the Lakers blew the game open in the fourth. The rookie finished with a +14 in 16 minutes.

 

To be clear, the aforementioned names weren't the only Lakers to contribute to the win. Dennis Schroder (15 points) and Patrick Beverley (10 points) each had their best game of the season. Troy Brown Jr. and Lonnie Walker were non-factors offensively but earned postgame plaudits for their contributions in other areas.

“It’s something we should try to strive for every night,” Westbrook said about the collective contributions. “It’s one of those nights where everybody had their hand in it and it showed.”

These are the ideal types of victories, across sports — and life. Nearly everybody feels like they helped as the team overcomes adversity and prevails against stiff competition. If Davis has to miss multiple games, the Lakers know they can win ballgames. That wasn't necessarily the case before Friday.