The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to move to 4-0 in NBA Cup play in order to host at least one game of the knockout stage, and they have one more matchup remaining in group play against the Dallas Mavericks. It’s a big game for the Mavericks as well as Anthony Davis is set to make his return to the lineup from a calf injury. Davis’ primary defender will be Deandre Ayton who is also making his return to the Lakers lineup after a one game absence due to injury.
Following Lakers’ shootaround on Friday morning, Deandre Ayton spoke about the challenges that come with guarding Anthony Davis, as per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“You don’t want to foul him. AD is a great shot-maker. It takes the whole team to guard him,” Ayton said. “You treat him like a Giannis [Antetokounmpo], you treat him like [Nikola] Jokic, like all the other superstars in this league where you need the whole team to be a presence in front of them. Try to throw two at him if anything, one man can’t really guard him.”
“Try to throw two at him as much as possible, try to get the ball out of his hands early, not let him get to his spots,” Ayton continued. “He’s gonna face up and get to the middy [mid-range], try not to foul him. Give him hard looks. He’s gonna do his thing, but just try your best to give him hard looks and get the ball out of his hands. I love to compete, competing is fun, seeing him out there is going to bring another competitive type of spirit.”
Anthony Davis has been limited to only five games this season for the Mavericks due to injury. On the other hand, Ayton is who the Lakers replaced Davis with has their starting center. He missed the team’s win against the LA Clippers on Tuesday, but stressed that the knee issue is not a long-term concern.
“It was just a little bruising really. Stuff I could play through,” Ayton said. “It’s not really something stopping me from playing. It hurts, but it’s something I can play through. . .shootaround went pretty smoothly as well, I didn’t have any knick-knacks or uncomfortableness.”
