Anthony Davis delivered in a big way in Game 1, finishing with 30 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks as he led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-112 win.
Davis played almost 44 minutes against the Golden State Warriors and played all 24 minutes in the second half. Head coach Darvin Ham was asked about the decision to extend AD’s minutes and he said load management is what helped him do it here.
“This is what load management is about,” Ham said. “If there’s going to be load management then we have to manage their loads throughout the regular season in order for us to push them a little further during this time of year. Postseason, everything is at its peak. You’ve got to pare down your rotation and you got to push your big dogs. Your big dogs got to be there early and often. So, we just made a conscious decision, communicated on the sidelines and we were able to push him on through and allow him to play the full half.”
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The Lakers didn’t allow Davis to play in back-to-backs for much of the season, a decision that wasn’t very popular at the time. Fans were furious that the team didn’t let him play in a game against the Houston Rockets in March but all of those precautions were taken back then for this very moment.
Davis had only played over 40 minutes thrice in the regular season and the playoffs in this campaign before this game, and all of those had gone to overtime. Here though, they felt comfortable enough to play him extended minutes and he played a big role in helping them get the win. AD had also claimed before Game 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies that he’d play all 48 minutes if needed and it would appear he might not have been making that up.
Anthony Davis’ Play Will Define The Outcome Of This Series
One of the big advantages the Lakers have in this series is that they will dominate in the paint and AD is a big reason for that. He helped the Lakers have a 54-28 advantage in points in the paint in Game 1 with his scoring and also his defense. It was once again evident that the Warriors have no answer for him and if Davis can be consistent the rest of the way, the Lakers should win this series.
Consistent is exactly what he hasn’t been in these playoffs, however, on the offensive end, in particular. In his last six playoff games, Davis has scored 30 or more points thrice but the other three have seen him fail to even score 20. He hasn’t even had back-to-back 20-point outings so far, which would lead you to believe that he might not have a big outing in Game 2. The Warriors would certainly be hoping that is the case.
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