Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis now has something in common with a short list of all-time franchise greats.
Davis had 40 points and 20 rebounds in just 30 minutes on Tuesday night in the Lakers’ 120-91 blowout win against the Memphis Grizzlies. In logging that performance, he became the sixth Lakers player to notch a 40-20 game.
Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Mikan and Shaquille O’Neal — each of them Hall of Famers — all accomplished the feat with the Lakers. O’Neal was the last to do so when he put up 48 points and 20 rebounds in 39 minutes against the Boston Celtics on March 21, 2003.
“It’s an honor to be on that list with those legends but more important is we got the win,” Davis said. “It was a grind in the first half and my teammates trusted me. I just tried to be a monster on the glass.”
A big part of Davis getting to that stat line came via free throws, where he shot 26-for-27. For perspective, the Grizzlies attempted 23 free throws as a team in last night’s game.
Per Elias Sports Bureau, Davis became the first player in NBA history to record at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in 32 minutes or less. The previous low was held by Baylor, who had 46 points and 22 rebounds in 33 minutes against the Detroit Pistons in 1961. Davis is also the fourth player in league history and first since Michael Jordan in 1987 to make 26 or more free throws.
The all-time record for free throws made in a game is held by Chamberlain. He sank 28 of them en route to his famous 100-point game against the New York Knicks played in Hershey, Pa in 1962.
| Free throws made | Player (Team) | Game (Date) | Player’s total poins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors) | Philadelphia Warriors vs. Knicks (March 2, 1962) | 100 |
| 27 | Adrian Dantley (Jazz) | Jazz vs. Nuggets (Nov. 25, 1983) | 47 |
| 26 | Adrian Dantley (Jazz) | Jazz vs. Mavs (Oct. 31, 1980) | 50 |
| 26 | Michael Jordan (Bulls) | Bulls vs. Nets (Feb. 26, 1987) | 58 |
| 26 | Anthony Davis (Lakers) | Lakers vs. Grizzlies (Oct. 29, 2019) | 40 |
Davis also set an NBA record for most free throws made in a quarter when he sank 18 (out of 18 attempts) in the third quarter.
| Free throws made | Player (Team) | Game (Date) | Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Anthony Davis (Lakers) | Lakers vs. Grizzlies (Oct. 29, 2019) | 3rd |
| 16 | Vince Carter (Nets) | Nets vs. Heat (Dec. 23, 2005) | 4th |
| 15 | Gilbert Arenas (Wizards) | Wizards vs. Warriors (Feb. 8, 2006) | 4th |
(Lakers.com’s Rodrigo Azurmendi also points out that Davis was even fouled by players from five different countries — the United States, Serbia, Brazil, Canada and Lithuania.)
Aside from those feats at the free-throw line, Davis also joined O’Neal and Abdul-Jabbar as the third Lakers player with 100 points, 10 blocks and 10 assists through his first four games (per ESPN).
Davis was questionable two hours before the game due to a right shoulder injury suffered in Sunday’s win over Charlotte. He did some dribbling and shooting on the court before being cleared.
He had 16 points and nine rebounds in the first quarter but went back to the locker room at the start of the second to get the shoulder checked and re-taped. Coach Frank Vogel thought he might have to go the rest of the game without Davis until he saw him come back to the bench.
After the game, Davis said his shoulder was still, but he thinks it will improve since the Lakers have a couple days off. At 3-1, the Lakers are off to their best start since the 2010-11 season and will play again Friday when they visit the Dallas Mavericks (9:30 ET, ESPN).
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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