MILWAUKEE – Anthony Davis has seen the National Basketball Association (NBA) evolve over the years, and he knows perfectly well that nothing is for certain in such a “high-powered” league nowadays.
On March 26, the forward led a stunning late fightback as the Los Angeles Lakers overturned a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-124 in double overtime on the road.
With LeBron James ruled out through injury, a banged-up Davis spent nearly 52 minutes on court to rally the Lakers to victory against the Bucks.
He finished with 34 points, 23 rebounds and two assists while also making four blocks in a towering defensive display.
“A 20-point lead in this league now, it’s nothing because of the way the offence is right now in the league, so high-powered that you can wipe away a lead pretty fast,” Davis said on ESPN.
The veteran was backed offensively by Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, who both finished with 29 points apiece.
Reaves bagged only the second triple-double of his career, adding 14 rebounds and 10 assists to his points tally.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, were left wondering where it all went wrong after leading the game from the first quarter until the Lakers tied it up at 101-101 courtesy of two free throws from Taurean Prince with 44 seconds remaining.
Two see-saw periods of overtime saw the lead go back and forth until a 28-foot Reaves three-pointer and two free throws from Russell gave the Lakers a decisive 126-121 advantage with 14 seconds remaining.
Malik Beasley’s three-pointer closed the gap for Milwaukee, but two more Davis free throws sealed victory.
“That was a hell of a team win right there,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said afterwards.
“The guys did it – they banded together once again and competed their asses off. It was a great way to start off a six-game road trip.”
Reaves saluted Davis’ battling performance. The 31-year-old was clearly struggling for mobility for much of the game after injuring a knee in a collision with Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton.
“He just wanted to continue to battle with us,” Reaves said. “Any time he’s on the court, he’s making an impact.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee’s scorers with 29 points while Damian Lillard finished with 27.
Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers admitted that his team paid the price for not putting the game out of reach after twice opening up double-digit leads.
“When you have team down 19 points, you have a chance to take that lead to 30, we didn’t do that,” he said. “Instead we let it go from 19 to 10, and that gave them hope. It will be a good lesson for us.”
The victory leaves the Lakers firmly on track for at least a place in the play-in tournament.
They are ninth in the Western Conference with a 40-32 record. The Bucks remain second in the Eastern Conference behind Boston (57-15) despite falling to 46-26.
Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors boosted their hopes of reaching the post-season with a huge 113-92 victory over the Miami Heat on the road.
Klay Thompson produced 28 points, including six three-pointers, while Jonathan Kuminga added 18. Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins had 17 apiece, as the Warriors improved to 37-34 to remain 10th in the West.
In New Orleans, Oklahoma City Thunder kept up the pressure on Western Conference leaders the Denver Nuggets with a 119-112 win over the Pelicans.
Zion Williamson finished with 29 points and 10 assists for New Orleans, but the Thunder’s balanced offence saw them home for a win which leaves them half a game back from Denver in the West at 50-21.
Jalen Williams finished with 26 points, while Josh Giddey added 25 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 24 for the Thunder. AFP
