After dominating the Hornets in the Lakers’ victory against them on Monday night, Anthony Davis found himself in a separate league from the rest of the players.
On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of a Charlotte Hornets team that was completely depleted of players. Anthony Davis took advantage of the insufficient number of players in the Hornets’ frontcourt. Davis was so dominant that it appeared as though he barely needed to break a single bead of sweat in order to pave the way for the Lakers in their victory over the Hornets by defeating them by a score of 124-118. Davis finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Even though it was Davis’ third triple-double of his career (two of which came this season), the Hornets just did not have an answer for him. Nick Richards and PJ Washington were unable to do much to stop the Lakers star from cutting them up in a historic manner. Davis’s performance was enough to make history.
The official Twitter account for the Los Angeles Lakers (X) has announced that Anthony Davis has become the first player in the history of the franchise to record at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a single game. Davis has surpassed even the likes of LeBron James and Magic Johnson, who are considered to be two of the greatest players in the history of the league in terms of their ability to stuff the stat sheet.
The fact that Davis has accomplished this is not an easy task; to begin, the top player for the Lakers has averaged 2.5 assists per game during his career. In spite of the fact that Davis claims to have been a point guard throughout his childhood, he is not exactly known for his ability to dish up the rock. Therefore, it is a rare occurrence for him to surpass the 10-assist mark, which he has only accomplished twice in his entire career (his first career triple-double did not contain assists, but rather blocks). This is especially true when he is not a lead ballhandler in the same vein as James and Johnson.
To provide even further insight into the remarkable accomplishments of Anthony Davis, it is important to note that the Los Angeles Lakers have had a large number of Hall of Famers who have played for the team before him. Davis’s performance against the Hornets was comparable to that of other players, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jerry West, amongst others. Davis’s performance was particularly impressive. The fact that they do not, however, is striking.
It would appear that the Lakers are on the rise, and this comes just in time for the trade deadline. As of right now, it is not entirely apparent what the Lakers intend to do in order to enhance their roster. However, it is reasonable to say that they will not be bringing back the same cast when they play the Denver Nuggets on February 8, which is the day after the deadline has passed.
