Anthony Davis on Monday scored 42 points as the Los Angeles Lakers clinched top seeding in the Western Conference with a 116-108 defeat of the Utah Jazz.
Stung by a defeat to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday last week, the Lakers roared back in impressive fashion to overpower a talented Utah lineup.
The win sealed top spot in the West for the Lakers for the first time since 2010, when the late Kobe Bryant would go on to lead the team to the NBA Finals crown.
Photo: AP
Davis on Monday also racked up 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
LeBron James finished with 22 points and nine assists, as the Lakers finally pulled away from a stubborn Utah side.
“All the stuff we’ve been through this season, to clinch No. 1 in the West means a lot, but we’re not finished,” Davis said. “It’s just one of the milestones of many to get to where we want to be.”
Davis’ points haul included 23 in the first half alone. It was the 20th time Davis has scored 20 points or more in the first half as a Laker, the first player from the franchise to achieve that feat since Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in January.
“I know he’s looking down on us, cheering us on,” Davis added.
In another matchup, Toronto’s Fred VanVleet scored a career-high 36 points as the Raptors dug deep to defeat the Miami Heat 107-103 in their Eastern Conference clash.
VanVleet led the scoring for the Raptors with a haul that included seven three-pointers from 12 attempts, as Toronto improved to 48-18 to remain in second place in the East.
VanVleet also made a big contribution defensively for the Raptors, later on forcing a deflection of a Jimmy Butler pass that denied Miami an opportunity for a game-tying score.
It was an all-round display that left Raptors coach Nick Nurse purring with pleasure after the victory.
“What makes his defense unique is that he doesn’t look very fast out there, but his lateral side-to-side speed and the way he can move his feet is incredible — it’s deceiving,” Nurse said of VanVleet.
The Raptors’ Pascal Siakam finished with 22 points and three assists, while Kyle Lowry had 14 points and Serge Ibaka made 15.
Goran Dragic led the Miami scorers with 25 points, while Kelly Olynyk had 17 off the bench and Butler and Jae Crowder had 16 points apiece.
Also on Monday, Nikola Jokic had a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets overpowered the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 121-113 overtime victory.
Jokic finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a stellar performance for Denver, who improved to 44-23 with the win.
The Nuggets remain third in the Western Conference standings behind the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Michael Porter led the scoring for the Nuggets with a career-high 37 points, while Paul Millsap and Monte Morris had 17 points apiece.
The Thunder’s scoring was led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 24 points, while Chris Paul had 23 points and Danilo Gallinari had 20.
Jokic said the victory was a reward for the hard work that the Nuggets have put in behind the scenes since being sequestered inside the NBA’s “bubble.”
“We needed it,” Jokic said. “For the guys that are here, this is I think their 24th day, 27th day that they are here — they are working.”
Last week, the NBA restarted its season after a four-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The relaunched season is taking place with 22 teams based inside a secured zone at Disney World in Orlando.
In other early action on Monday, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Washington Wizards 111-100, thanks to a 34-point double-double from T.J. Warren.
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