Give it up for Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (31 pts, 9 reb) and
the big fella’s game-winning three to give the Lakers a 105-103 victory over
Denver. The guys are now 3-0 in their Kobe City Edition Uniforms.
It was the shot heard around the NBA as an AD triple hit nothing but net in
the final seconds of tonight’s game. But arguably the best part of the night
was watching Davis yell “Kobe” as he embraced his teammates.
Let’s start from the beginning...
When it comes to LeBron James (26 pts, 11 reb) opponents must ask themselves:
what’s the lesser of two evils? Because if they try to stop him entirely, they
will lose completely. The King can score from anywhere. That’s not even a
hyperbole — tonight we saw LBJ drive through the paint, a path that is pure
child’s play for him. Then LeBron was getting hot from three and Denver’s
defense took note. They abandoned their zone and tried to track down LeBron’s
shot at the perimeter, except this just opened up things even more for the
Lakers for a majority of the matchup. Enter AD.
Davis took the lead in the second act of tonight’s contest. He was agile
offensively, his mid-range jumper was elegant, yet again, and of course the
confidence of a 7-footer to call game from three is incredible — absolutely
incredible. AD leaves spectators dazed and confused often because of his
pliable style of play. When you need a big, he’ll be a big. When you need a
point guard, he’ll be a point guard. And when you need a “Mamba shot,” as
Coach Frank Vogel called it, AD will give you a Mamba shot.
Honorable mention goes out to his Freshness. This is Alex Caruso’s first
playoffs run ever. No, seriously... it’s understandable that the one-handed
jam, finger-roll layup, and dogged defense would make you think differently,
but this is in fact AC’s first playoff go-round. He’s proved countless times
throughout his career that he is coal under pressure.
Tonight, the Lakers saw why the Nuggets are referred to as the “comeback kids”
by league commentators. It was a game a bit too close for comfort, but the
guys fought back hard together and honored Kobe as an integral unit this
Sunday evening.
The team has two more to go. Back on Tuesday.