Lakers' Anthony Davis drops eye-opening admission on end of win over Jazz
12/02/2024 09:39 AM
Los Angeles Lakers fans were hoping for a get-right game against the lowly Utah Jazz (4-16) on Sunday night, but they watched as their squad barely escaped the Delta Center with a 105-104 win. Actually, if not for head coach Will Hardy’s decision to call a timeout in the closing seconds of the contest, it is quite possible that LA (12-8) would have been forced to explain another frustrating loss.
Although Collin Sexton made what would have been a go-ahead layup with one and a half ticks left on the clock, the whistle sounded before the ball went through the net. The Jazz failed to get a shot off on the official last possession of the game, extending their losing streak to four. Perplexed fans criticized Hardy for not allowing his guys to play to the final buzzer, but perhaps he spotted potential trouble– trouble that goes by the name of Anthony Davis.
The Lakers star big man was camped out in the paint area, seemingly ready to challenge Sexton’s drive to the basket before the timeout was called. He confidently believes that the scoreboard would have remained unchanged regardless of the pause.
“I heard the whistle,” Davis explained after the game, via ClutchPoints. “So I stopped… I don’t know if [Sexton] would’ve made it. I probably would’ve blocked it.”
Considering the four-time All-NBA First-Team selection is among one of the best rim-protectors and overall defenders in the league, there is a decent chance that he would have been proven right if the action carried on uninterrupted. Many people will brush that scenario to the side, though, and still hold Hardy accountable for the Jazz’s stumble at the end. A failed drive is always a more acceptable outcome than a non-existent shot attempt.
Will Hardy called a timeout as Collin Sexton scored a go-ahead bucket
The Jazz lost 105-104. pic.twitter.com/z92jwOsIF7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 2, 2024
Anthony Davis helps the Lakers get back on track
The unusual conclusion to Sunday’s matchup overshadows the main takeaway, which is that Davis led Los Angeles to a much-needed victory. He scored a game-high 33 points on 13-of-25 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, two steals and one block. While it is a big burden to bear, the 2020 NBA champion must continue to feast on both ends of the floor if the Lakers are going to jump into the title conversation.
It has been said ad nauseam for a while now, but the Lakers will go as far as Anthony Davis takes them. His sweltering start to the season resulted in LA sailing to a 10-4 record, a welcome sign for a group that is surely tired of having to earn its way out of the NBA Play-In Tournament. Conversely, the team has since been accumulating losses amid his recent lack of dominant offensive outings.
Well, Davis made sure to swing the trend back in the other direction in Salt Lake City. He will look to maintain his sensational form on the second night of a back-to-back, as the Lakers collide with the Minnesota Timberwolves (9-10) in the Target Center on Monday.
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