LOS ANGELES — Playing with just two of their Big Three has frequently meant trouble for the Lakers this season. But needing a win as badly as ever, Anthony Davis furrowed his brow on Wednesday night, determined to make it work.
In a fourth quarter that saw him chase down Norman Powell for a blocked shot, wrestle a rebound from Jusuf Nurkic’s paws and leap for a far-too-high entry pass, Davis never stopped scowling. When he missed a short putback attempt at the rim, he cursed at himself. A few possessions later, he nailed a jumper in Nurkic’s face.
That side of Davis has been seen less this season than Lakers fans would like: the fiery, competitive big man who helped power the franchise to championship glory less than 18 months ago. He showed up in a dire hour of need against the Portland Trail Blazers (21-31) – not to push the Lakers (25-27) toward contending, but merely to keep them from careening into oblivion.
Davis, 28, put a two-way stamp on a gritty 99-94 home win to end the Lakers’ three-game losing streak, the team’s first win since the latest injury to LeBron James, who missed his fourth straight game. For one night, Davis put aside his role as wingman: The All-Star big man finished with 30 points (11 in the fourth quarter), 15 rebounds and three blocks.
“I think we all felt some kind of way after that Atlanta loss. I just tried to come out with a mindset of ending the streak,” Davis said. “Just trying to get back to my old self, play with a lot of energy, playing to exhaustion.”
He was aided by Russell Westbrook, the other leg of the triumvirate, who had nine points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds despite a bout with foul trouble and a 3-for-12 shooting night.
But Carmelo Anthony delivered the most outsized contribution from a role player by tallying 24 points (5 for 6 from 3-point range) – including an unlikely lob dunk at the start of the fourth quarter.
Anthony came out on fire against his former team after subbing in early for a foul-plagued Stanley Johnson. Working from the left wing, Anthony scored 10 points in the first quarter alone while the Blazers stuck hands in his face. By halftime, the Lakers’ only healthy 37-year-old had 18 points to lead the team.
Even though he’s in his 19th season like James, it’s been less frequent to see him take to the skies for a dunk.
“I’m not supposed to be able to jump no more? That’s what they say, right?” Anthony said with a sly grin. “I don’t know, I just play basketball, man. Whatever it is, if it’s a lob, or a bounce pass, whatever it is, I just try to go get it.”
But Davis’ desire stood out, especially as he battled on the glass for eight of his rebounds in the fourth quarter alone. For most of the battle between the ninth- and 10th-place teams in the Western Conference, the game had all the aesthetic appeal of a rock fight. But amid a season that has slowly veered off course from its original ambition, Davis provided a ray of hope for the franchise.
Coach Frank Vogel said he saw Davis’ legs give out late in the game, trudging across midcourt and struggling to arrive for his rotations on time. But his mind wouldn’t let him quit, he said.
“Tonight was definitely about mental toughness in the face of fatigue, finding a way to find that energy find that focus and make enough plays – and make enough shots, quite frankly,” Vogel said. “With no legs, to still make tough shots, it’s tough to do. Hell of a game by Anthony.”
Davis’ and Anthony’s shooting prowess helped the Lakers claim a 13-point lead early in the first quarter, but it quickly slipped from their grasp as Nurkic (16 points) and Anfernee Simons (19 points) found their rhythm from deep. The Lakers also played an early second-quarter lineup without Davis, Westbrook, Anthony or Malik Monk – predictably leading to a shooting slump.
The Lakers looked poised to roll into halftime with at least a little breathing room, but that, too, was taken from them. Simons made a pull-up 3-pointer, Westbrook missed two shots hunting for a two-for-one to end the half, then Powell (30 points) hit a catch-and-shoot jumper off an inbounds play with just one second remaining: The Lakers’ double-digit margin was down to a point.
The third quarter might have been the most frustrating of all: The Lakers scored just 18 points in the frame, going 6 for 20 from the field. Even on the possessions when they got stops, the Trail Blazers (five offensive rebounds in the third) found ways to get second looks, and the turnover margin continued to pile up. Portland finished the third with another buzzer-beating jumper by Dennis Smith Jr., giving them a three-point lead going into the final frame.
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Davis played just his fourth game back from a left MCL sprain that cost him 17 straight starts. But even though Vogel acknowledged that he’s still in the reconditioning phase, Davis led the team with 36-plus minutes. The Lakers will be back at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday for a game against the Clippers.
That next game, like this one, is important for jockeying in the middle of the standings: The Clippers stand just ahead of the Lakers at eighth place. Westbrook, Vogel and Anthony all said they aren’t focused on the standings at the moment, just trying to take it one game at a time.
Anthony said the more important factor is that the Lakers are healthy and settled into a rhythm by the end of the regular season, wherever they land.
“Do I want to be in the play-in game? Hell no,” he said. “But I’ve been in the play-in game before and I know the excitement, but I also know the feeling when it comes to that. So I would rather be a little bit more comfortable than playing in the play-in game.”
@AntDavis23 dropped a 30 point double-double in the @Lakers victory! #LakeShow
30 PTS (10-18 FGM)
15 REB
3 BLK pic.twitter.com/YNln1YDDY5
— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2022
Anthony Davis on “trying to get back to myself” at the end of the Portland game: pic.twitter.com/2kdqIPl7hQ
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 3, 2022
Carmelo Anthony (24 PTS, 5/6 3P, 8 REB) talks with @LakersReporter about his hot start in tonight’s game and AD’s impact on the boards down the stretch for the #LakeShow. pic.twitter.com/LDXTagztTj
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 3, 2022
“Overall, I was proud of how our guys competed and pulled out the W.” Frank Vogel shares his key takeaways from a gritty #Lakers win. pic.twitter.com/DjNtLLOTx6
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 3, 2022
Thought I’d open Melo’s press conference by joking about his fourth-quarter lob — naturally he played it surprisingly straight.
On still being able to catch a lob in Year 19: “I’m not supposed to be able to jump no more? That’s what they say, right?” pic.twitter.com/WjvOuf9uhC
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 3, 2022
“Sometimes you do the right things and they still score that’s why we stick to our game plan and that 3rd Q played out for us.” @russwest44 talks post-game about tonight’s #Lakers win. pic.twitter.com/vM9iCce86I
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 3, 2022