What more can I say aboutAnthony Davis that you don’t already know? Probably nothing, and that’s why we’ll just leave you with his hair-raising stat line, as it sums up his dominance perfectly: 55 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blocks !!! Since blocking was taken into account in 1973, only Kevin McHale (1985) had managed to compile at least 55 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks in the NBA…
Suffice to say that this legendary performance (and the term is not stolen) from the All-Star interior obviously propelled the Lakers towards victory, on the floor of the Wizards (130-119). A logical and authoritative success, incidentally the eighth in ten games, which allows teammates to LeBron James (29 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) to continue their rise in the standings (12th) and to get closer to a balanced balance sheet…
Unlike Los Angeles, Washington sinks on its side in the crisis and concedes there its sixth defeat in seven games. Moving a little further from the Top 8 in the East and even leaving the Top 10, synonymous with play-in…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Simply, Anthony Davis. Superlatives are lacking to describe the state of form inside the Lakers for three weeks. On another planet, he may be the best player in the league right now, one of the few capable of aiming for the titles of MVP and DPOY with such a level of play. a racket just unable to slow him down and without the slightest solution in front of him. In all good shots, and his stats speak for him, he didn’t really waste anything: 22/30 on shots, 2/3 at 3-pts and 9/9 on throws… Enough to reap the “MVPs!” MVP! MVP! from the Capital One Arena!
— The Lakers, kings of the second quarter. With nearly 32 points per game and a differential of +5 over this period, the “Purple & Gold” are the best NBA team in the second quarters and they proved it again last night. Intractable over these twelve minutes (35-23), they blew up the Wizards without forcing, pressing of course in the paint and also punishing from afar. Collectively rehearsed, because inexpensive and willing to bring the ball to life, Darvin Ham’s men also left Washington to water at 3-pts. A paying “choice” and their success of the day was built at this precise moment.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ LeBron James. Among the Lakers, the hierarchy seems to have finally been established, or at least it is beginning to be. Illustration this night, where the “King” generally put himself at the service of Anthony Davis, taking advantage of the shifts created by the gravity of the latter to go and write his points in the paint. A convincing performance from the quadruple MVP, which certainly spoiled somewhat (2/7 at 3-pts, 5 lost balls), but yet overshadowed by the daunting level of this “AD” of the big nights. And that’s a pretty good sign for Los Angeles…
✅ Lonnie Walker IV. Quietly, the rear of the Lakers made the powder speak from afar: 4/4, for a total of 20 points in just 25 minutes. A solid third offensive option, behind the pair LeBron / Davis which of course gave him a ton of space in attack…
✅ Washington’s fourth quarter. If the gap is “only” 11 points, while it climbed to 29 units after returning from the locker room, it is because the Wizards finally found their basketball in the last act. Problem: the game was already folded and they came back from far too far to hope to shake these Lakers more. It should be noted, however, that Daniel Gafford (19 points, 7 rebounds) and Corey Kispert (16 points), even Kristaps Porzingis (27 points, 9 rebounds) and Kyle Kuzma (26 points, 7 rebounds) by sequence, had the merit of to fight by taking advantage of the collective relaxation of Los Angeles.
⛔ Bradley Beal’s injury. Three minutes. Or the playing time of the back of the Wizards this night. Hit in the hamstrings, he did not reappear all evening after coming out at the very start of the first quarter and this injury greatly facilitated the task of the Lakers. Even if it is surely not him who would have been able to slow down Anthony Davis…
⛔ Patrick Beverly. Even in this kind of game where everything is in place for the attackers to shine, because the defenses had decided to stay in the locker room, the Lakers point guard fails to positively influence the game of his team. Unable to plant the slightest basket (0/4) and clearly not in the game defensively, “Pat Bev” is today a weight figure for Los Angeles and one wonders when Darvin Ham will modify his five to introduce Austin Reaves or Troy Brown Jr.
⛔ Deni Avdija and Will Barton. Very complicated match of the Avdija / Barton pair (7 points, 3/16 on shots including 1/11 at 3-pts, cumulatively…), while the Wizards would have needed her to respond, given of Bradley Beal’s early injury. Fortunately, the Corey Kispert – Jordan Goodwin – Daniel Gafford trio was more inspired when coming off the bench…
THE FOLLOWING
Washington (11-13) : trip to Chicago, in the night from Wednesday to Thursday (02:00).
Los Angeles (10-12) : trip to Cleveland, overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday (1:30 a.m.).
