Anthony Davis could have acted better as a facilitator in times of crisis than ever before in the Los Angeles Lakers ’113-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, but the great All-Star was still hypercritical of his work.
“Right now, to be tough on myself, man, I think I’m sucking now,” Davis said after finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. “I’m not shooting. I’m not shooting free throws. But I think tonight my aggressiveness, just being a [post-up threat] and getting to the painting, it allowed the boys to open up. “
He missed 10 of the 18 shots he attempted, only shooting 44.4% compared to the 53.2% clip that came into the night connecting this season. And he came out just 2 out of 5 from the foul line, making the 80.1% free throw pitcher only 14 against 22 (63.6%) in his last three games. .
His step, however, proved to be a factor of difference. The Lakers retired three to three from Davis ’work in the final three minutes, allowing the Los Angeles visitors to turn a one-possession game into a relatively comfortable victory.
It was the biggest attendance he has ever had in clutch time in a match of his career.
He tied a plate to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to increase Los Angeles ’lead from two to five with 2 minutes, 42 seconds remaining; found Alex Caruso on the corner for another 3 to put the Lakers seven a minute later; and set up LeBron James for a 3 with 1:04 remaining to give his team an eight-point cushion. The final storm sealed the win and allowed the Lakers to extend the road win streak to 8-0 to start the season.
“I trust my teammates. The AC got me one right. Bron got one right and Kenny got one right, and they’re in the right places where I want guys when I have the ball on the stick,” Davis explained. “And only [am] he was able to do the reading with his boys by bending or collapsing to the paint when I got there, and I was able to kick him out and those guys fired.
Although Davis finished with less than 20 points for a fifth straight game – his longest under-20 streak last season was limited to just three games during the bubble seeding games when LA had already closed the head number 1 – his Attendance has been positive.
Five of Davis ’six assists against the Bucks resulted in 3 points (LA), tied at the top 3 he has helped in a single game in his career, and his 13 assists in the last two games are the most he has ever had in two periods of play since joining the Lakers.
James explained that he knew Davis had that ability to step into him all the time, but he rarely got to show it in New Orleans because teams would play it one-on-one, thinking he couldn’t beat them on his own.
“But I felt like since he’s been here, he’s so damn I know he’s finally going to see a lot of double teams,” James said.
Once these doubles arrive, James said, Davis has been trained to spot the lanes he can drive to find open mates.
“Every game keeps growing. Every movie session, we break down these things, what you see on the floor,” James said. “Tonight was another example of him just seeing the other side of the floor and putting the ball in time, on goal and the guys who knocked it down.”
Like Davis, Lakers coach Frank Vogel left the win unsatisfied, although the Bucks reached No. 2 on offense nightly and averaged 120.4 points per game and the Lakers they kept them well below that exit.
“Well, we have to be better,” Vogel said. “We didn’t play our best basketball game tonight.”
It’s the tone of a team looking for something much more substantial than a regular season win in January.
“My aggressiveness tonight,” Davis said, “is the only way I feel like I’m going to get out of this funk or whatever.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be a better basketball player every game, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing.”