The Los Angeles Lakers secured a 132-122 victory over the Sacramento Kings, completing a season sweep over their California rivals. LeBron James was absent due to illness, but Anthony Davis stepped up, leading the team to victory and sending a clear message to his teammates for what lies ahead.
Davis delivered a stellar performance, recording 36 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. However, the Lakers struggled defensively in the first half, something Davis was not pleased with.
At halftime, Davis made his thoughts known to the team, urging them to tighten up defensively in order to secure the win. âI just told the guys that we just got to be better defensively,â Davis said. âWe got to rely on our defense. So I just told everybody, like, we got to defend. We got to lay our hats on defense. And we just kind of locked back in defensivelyâ.
The Lakers trailed 65-66 at halftime, but Davisâ challenge seemed to spark the team, as they held the Kings to just 24 points in the third quarterâthe lowest of any quarter in the game.
Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings drives past the defense of Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
However, the Lakersâ defense faltered again in the final period, allowing the Kings to trim the deficit. This prompted head coach JJ Redick to call a timeout and refocus the team on defensive adjustments.
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âThey had eight points, I think, in a minute and 50, which is unacceptable for us,â Davis added. âSo thatâs when JJ [Redick] called the timeout and came back and just told the guys again, like, yeah, we just gotta get stops. Weâre gonna score. We are getting everything we want offensively. We got to get stopsâ.
Davisâ defensive leadership
As one of the leagueâs top defensive players, Davis plays a crucial role in guiding the Lakers on that end of the floor. âI mean, itâs easy for me, just from the sense, because they donât want to play defense, so you canât get on guys or expect guys to do something where youâre not doing it,â he explained.
âSo on the defensive end, itâs easy for me to go to guys and get on them, or just tell them what we need from defensively, what we need from our defense, knowing that Iâm gonna bring it defensively as well. And the guys responded,â Davis added.
Lakers wanted to exceed Kingsâ energy
After Mike Brownâs dismissal as head coach of the Kings, Doug Christie took over for his first game against the Lakers. Davis knew the Kings would come out with heightened energy and emphasized the importance of the Lakers matching that intensity.
âWe knew that they were probably going to come in with a little bit more energy,â Davis said. âAnytime you get a coaching trade or a trade, it kind of brings a new life to the team in a sense. So, we just wanted to exceed their energy, exceed their physicality and we did a good job of that tonight for the most partâ.
