Anthony Davis had 31 points and 11 rebounds to carry the Lakers past the Blazers in Game 2, prompting teammate LeBron James to call him „one of those unicorns.“
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — LeBron James missed seven of the 11 shots he took in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 111-88 Game 2 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, with his 10 points on Thursday accounting for the fewest he has ever scored in a win in his 241 career playoffs games. It helps to have a teammate like Anthony Davis. In tying up L. A.’s first-round Western Conference series 1-1, Davis led all scorers with 31 points on 13-for-21 shooting (including 3-for-4 from 3) and had 11 rebounds,3 assists, a steal and a block in only 29 minutes. It was the first time a Lakers player scored 30-plus points in less than 30 minutes since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it in 1987, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. „I’ve had some great teammates in my career,“ James said. „AD is one of those unicorns and he does things that some of my other great teammates are not capable of doing.“ James quickly mentioned Dwyane Wade, whom he won two championships with as part of the Miami Heat, and Kyrie Irving, with whom he teamed to win a ring on the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Davis‘ elite company. But the point was clear: Davis is as a dominant a running mate as a player can hope for. As effective as Davis was offensively — making up for a shaky 8-for-24 shooting night in Game 1 — his defense helped hold a Portland team that had averaged 126 points in the seeding round to a season-low 88 points on 40% shooting. Though Lakers coach Frank Vogel stuck with the same starting lineup as the series opener, he also used Davis at center on Thursday — to great effect. L. A. outscored Portland by 15 in the 15 minutes Davis played the 5, and Davis scored 22 of his 31 points for the game in that stint, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
