Austin Reaves showed out in the Lakers’ win over the Orlando Magic, scoring a career-high 35 points. His performance in the fourth quarter helped the Lakers avoid falling to a third consecutive defeat.
Anthony Davis should have been the star man for LA but had a tough offensive night, scoring just 15 points. After the game, AD openly praised Reaves for carrying the team to this win.
Anthony Davis on Austin Reaves:
“He carried us tonight with his play. Got whatever he wanted … pick and roll … got to the line. We know what we have in Austin.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 20, 2023
Even though Davis struggled offensively, he had a great defensive showing. He was protecting the rim, attacking open shooters for close-outs, and playing with a high motor. Sadly, he just couldn’t figure out a way to consistently attack the rim due to the defensive length and versatility of the Magic frontcourt.
Anthony Davis And His Inconsistencies
Anthony Davis has performed admirably as the Lakers’ primary star in LeBron James’ absence. He has had dominant games where he led the team to wins with excellent two-way performances, but he also has performances where he seems passive and unable to get a rhythm going. Today was one of those games where AD struggled and it could’ve cost the Lakers.
AD has played 9 games since LeBron went down and has averaged 26.2 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Those are impressive statistics but it can’t be forgotten that he was primarily responsible for 2 of the Lakers’ losses in this stretch (Knicks and Mavericks). He also had a bad 9-point performance against Toronto that the team still managed to win.
LeBron James will be coming back soon after going to Germany for treatment to fast-track his return. AD has proven that he may be better off as a No. 2 that plays off LeBron instead of leading the team, given his inconsistency recently.
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