Anthony Davis hit a long floater with 4 minutes, 39 seconds remaining to reach 50 points for the first time with the Los Angeles Lakers. The shot that got him to the half-century mark was hardly representative of the work that preceded it.
Davis had a relentless series of fast-break points, second-chance opportunities and attacks in the paint that pummeled the Minnesota Timberwolves, a performance Lakers coach Frank Vogel described as a “smash mouth way of getting 50.”
“No. 3s, 20 for 29, and then living at the free-throw line, post-ups, offensive rebounds, crashes, all those types of things. Just an old-school performance and one for the ages,” Vogel said.
Photo: AP
Davis on Sunday scored a season-high 50 points as the Lakers improved to a league-best 21-3 with a 142-125 win over the Timberwolves.
Davis was 20 of 29 from the field and made all 10 of his free throws, to go with seven rebounds and six assists, reaching the 50-point mark for the fourth time in his career.
“It was very special to do something like this in front of these great fans, a historical franchise and my teammates, especially the way we’ve been playing,” Davis said. “It was nothing but amazing.”
LeBron James had 32 points and 13 assists, despite committing four fouls in the first half. Alex Caruso added 16 points as the Lakers won their fourth straight and improved to 10-2 at home.
While it looked like it could be a special night for Davis after his first six shots, which included a dunk on a no-look alley-oop from James as he racked up seven of the Lakers’ first nine points, the eighth-year forward was a bit more cautious.
“I mean, I’ve had nights where I started off like that and ended up with 30 and didn’t score in the second half,” Davis said.
However, it was evident Davis would keep adding to his total. He was at his most relentless to close the first half, helping fuel an 11-0 run that gave the Lakers a 73-65 lead at the break after James got his fourth foul with 2:27 left in the second quarter.
Much of Davis’ damage this season had come off the pick-and-roll with James, but Vogel was impressed how he was able to be effective without James or Rajon Rondo on the court. Rondo did not play because of a strained hamstring.
However, to James it was just Davis doing what he can do.
“He’s had to carry a franchise before, so I don’t think it’s anything foreign to him,” James said.
Davis had 42 points through three quarters, one more than his previous single-game high this season, 41 points in his return to New Orleans on Nov. 27.
He tacked on 15 points in the third, but balanced scoring allowed Minnesota to stay within 110-103 as the quarter closed.
The Timberwolves had seven players with at least 12 points, including all five starters.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins each had 19 points as Minnesota lost their fourth straight.
It was not until the fourth quarter that the Lakers could finally relax, with Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins keeping Davis informed on his progress before he finally got to 50 for the first time since Feb. 26 last year.
While Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders could not help but be impressed with Davis’ ability to do “everything” on offense, he viewed it as an important lesson for how his team needs to compete with the best sides in the league.
“I think it was a good measuring stick for us to see what the elite teams in this league [can do], how the physicality is, playing a complete game and minimizing your mistakes,” Saunders said. “If you have a minute-and-a-half lapse in game plan, discipline, you see what can happen. They just overwhelm you.”
Elsewhere, the Heat beat the Bulls 110-105, the 76ers downed the Raptors 110-104, the Clippers wounded the Wizards 135-119, the Hawk stung the Hornets 122-107, the Nets edges the Nuggets 105-102, the Kings mastered the Mavericks 110-106 and the Thunder thumped the Trail Blazers 108-96.
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