Anthony Davis may have done better as a facilitator in the pinch than before in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, but the great All-Star man was still hypercritical in his game.
“Now, to be tough on myself, man, I think I suck,” said Davis after finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. “I’m not bidding. I’m not bidding. But I think my aggression tonight, just being a [post-up threat] and getting to painting, allowed the guys to open up. “
He missed 10 of the 18 shots he tried – shooting only 44.4% compared to the 53.2% clip he got overnight this season. And he hit just 2 to 5 from the foul line, which meant the 80.1% free-throw shooter of his career only 14 to 22 (63.6%) in his last three games.
His passing, however, proved to be a difference factor. The Lakers had 3 to 3 against Davis’ feeds in the final three minutes, allowing LA visitors to turn a game of possession into a relatively comfortable win.
It was the largest number of assists he has had in clutch time in a game in his career.
He added a dish to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to increase LA’s lead from two to five with 2 minutes, 42 seconds remaining; he found Alex Caruso in the corner for another 3 to put the Lakers in seven a minute later; and he prepared LeBron James for a 3 with 1:04 remaining to give his team an eight point lead. The final wave sealed the victory and allowed the Lakers to extend their winning streak to 8-0 at the start of the season.
“I trust my teammates. AC hit one for me. Bron hit one and Kenny hit another, and they are in the right places where I want guys when I have the ball on the post,” explained Davis. “And just [am] able to do the reading with your guys bending or falling apart in the painting when I get there, and was able to kick it out and those guys made shots. “
While Davis finished with less than 20 points for the fifth game in a row – his longest under-20 streak last season was limited to just three games during bubble games, when LA had already taken first place – his assists have been increasing.
Five of Davis’ six assists against the Bucks led to a 3-point basket for LA – tied with the most 3s he has ever seen in a single game in his career – and his 13 assists in the last two games are the most he has had a two-game run since joining the Lakers.
James explained that he knew Davis had this ability to pass him all the time, but he was rarely able to show it off in New Orleans because the teams would face him one-on-one, figuring he couldn’t beat them alone.
“But I feel that since he is here, he is so good that I know that eventually he will see a lot of double teams,” said James.
As soon as the pairs come, James said, Davis was trained to identify the streaks he can target to find open teammates.
“He continues to develop every game. Every film session, we kind of break these things – what he sees on the floor,” said James. “Tonight was another example of him seeing the other side of the court and placing the ball at the right time, on the target and the guys knocking it down.”
Much like Davis, Lakers coach Frank Vogel left the victory unsatisfied, although the Bucks came in second place in offensive efficiency and averaged 120.4 points per game, and the Lakers kept them well below of that production.
“Well, we have to be better,” said Vogel. “We didn’t play our best basketball game tonight.”
It is the tone of a team that seeks something much more substantial than a regular season victory in January.
“My aggression tonight,” said Davis, “is the only way I feel like I’m going to get out of this funk or whatever.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be a better basketball player at every game, and that is what I will continue to do.”