Anthony Davis leads Lakers to best record in three years
Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Jared Dudley were some of the names rostered the last time the Lakers were six or more games over .500 – May 16, 2021—screaming the span and reminding the whirlwind of ups and downs since.
“Effort,” Davis said when asked what led to his performance. “We just wanted to come out with a team effort, knowing where we’re at in the standings and how important this game was.”
1,029 days later, the Lakers finally reached that threshold—a 26–20 record—this time on a new roster, but only two players remained: an older LeBron James and a determined Anthony Davis on the eve of his 31st birthday.
Needing to stack wins as the season comes close to its end, Davis delivered a performance no player has done in NBA history.
He finished with 27 points, 25 rebounds, seven steals, and five assists, becoming the first player ever to have that stat line.
His efforts led Los Angeles to a 120-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves — a top-three team in the West — marking their third consecutive win against a top-five team (Thunder, Bucks, and Timberwolves) in the NBA based on their records. This delivered a clear message throughout the NBA.
The magnitude of Davis’ masterclass performance solidified a future wake-up call to the West. When Davis is near-unstoppable, the Lakers can play with anyone in a playoff series. He gives them the best chance of surpassing last season's Western Conference championship appearance.
“When we're going out and performing like we know we're capable of, we like our chances,” head coach Darvin Ham said. “The biggest thing for us is to keep building on defensively and offensively, correct the turnover habit.”
After just a season-low of five turnovers in their exciting win on Friday against the Bucks, the Lakers are back with 19 turnovers against Minnesota. This was the fourth-highest turnover margin they committed this season.
Despite his win-captivating efforts, Davis was the team's leading scorer. That was, you guessed it, LeBron, who scored a game-high 29 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds while shooting an effective 10-for-16 (62%) from the field.
The Lakers currently hold the ninth spot in the Western Conference, trailing the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks by just one game and the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns by three games.
The ability to climb in the standings is right there for L.A.; they just need to “stack wins,” as Ham emphasized at the point there in the season, with playoffs around the corner.
L.A.'s opportunity to climb the standings is within reach; they just need to ‘stack wins,’ as Ham emphasized after the Minnesota win, especially with the playoffs looming.
The Lakers will look to build its momentum this Wednesday on the road at Golden 1 Center against the Sacramento Kings, the team they lost to a week from Wednesday.
The Lakers will look to build momentum this Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the road at the Golden 1 Center against the Sacramento Kings, the team they lost to just last week by 10.
