LeBron James Predicted Anthony Davis Would Have a Strong Performance in the Lakers’ Game 2 Matchup With the Suns and Was Right on the Money
Desperately needing a win on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers avoided going down 0-2 in their first-round matchup with the Phoenix Suns with a 109-102 victory behind clutch performances from Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Davis was extremely hard on himself following his subpar performance on Sunday but owned up to it and took full responsibility for the Lakersā loss in Game 1. He bounced back with a stellar showing in Game 2, which is exactly what LeBron predicted he would do, and LA now owns the home-court advantage as the series shifts to Staples Center.
Anthony Davis took full responsibility for the Lakersā loss in Game 1
After averaging 21.8 points in the regular season, Davis couldnāt get anything going in the Lakersā Game 1 loss to the second-seeded Suns. He made just five of 16 shots from the floor and three of five shots from the foul line to finish with 13 points in the 99-90 defeat, the lowest total of his postseason career.
But AD was quick to put the blame on himself afterwards (h/t ESPN).
āI missed a ton of shots. We missed a ton of shots as a team. There is no way we are winning a game, let alone a series with the way I played. This is on me.ā
Anthony Davis
While the Game 1 loss certainly wasnāt on Davis alone, taking responsibility was certainly the superstar thing to do, which LeBron certainly seemed to appreciate while making a prediction on how his running mate would react.
LeBron James predicted AD would bounce back following the Lakersā Game 1 loss
James didnāt play quite as poorly as Davis did in the Lakersā Game 1 loss but he was simply a little more inconsistent than usual. In an 18-point performance that featured both highs and lows, LeBron shot a respectable 6-for-13 from the floor, made three of seven shots from beyond the arc, and added 10 rebounds and seven assists. But he also took just six shots from the foul line, missing three of them, and committed a team-high five turnovers.
After the game, James was told about Davisā comments and said while any loss canāt be pinned on just one player, he loves āwhen AD puts that pressure on himselfā and that he āalways respondsā following a subpar performance. And his prediction was certainly right on the money.
LeBron was right on the money in his prediction as Davis scored a game-high 34 points in LAās Game 2 victory
While the Lakers werenāt overly aggressive in Game 1, that was not the case on Tuesday night, particularly in Davisā case. After shooting just five free throws on Sunday afternoon, AD essentially forced the Suns to foul him as he continuously attacked the rim in Game 2, resulting in 21 foul shots, of which he made 18. Davis scored 34 points in the victory, shooting 7-for-15 from the floor, and also added 10 rebounds and seven assists.
After LeBron, who had a solid game with 23 points and nine assists, hit an 18-footer to give the Lakers a 95-92 lead with 2:40 remaining, Davis hit a clutch shot of his own as he drained a 3-pointer 25 seconds later, giving LA a six-point advantage. James and Davis scored 16 of the Lakersā final 20 points to end the game.
Game 3 between the Lakers and Suns takes place on Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern/7:00 p.m. Pacific at Staples Center and will air on TNT.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference