Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ historic victory in the In-Season Tournament, LeBron James showered his colleague Anthony Davis with compliments.
The 19-time All-Star further cemented his legendary legacy at T-Mobile Arena by assisting his team in defeating the Indiana Pacers, an offensive powerhouse. Despite playing a supporting role to his teammate who received the most of the attention at the conclusion of the game, his 24 points, 11 assists, and four assists helped lead the Lakers to a 123-109 victory.
The eight-time All-Star’s skill set was unmatched by the Pacers, and Davis dominated the game in Las Vegas. With 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks at the end of the game, James compared his performance to that of Shaquille O’Neal, a former Laker and possibly the most dominant player in NBA history.
“That was a Shaq-like dominant performance, and we had the big guy sat down here by our bench, so I think AD was inspired,” the four-time champion said. “40, 20, multiple blocks, multiple steals. AD was just, he was dominant, big time.” James and Davis are in their fifth season together as Lakers teammates, which has so far delivered one championship.
The 38-year-old has played with Davis longer than he did with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in Cleveland. Post-game the NBA legend was asked about his relationship with Davis and he outlined that they are both clear about their roles in the team. “I know who I am, he knows who he is,” James explained.
“So, there’s no friction. We’re not trying to compete with one another on the court or on a lifestyle basis. He knows who he is, I know who I am. The only thing we’re trying to do is hold each other accountable when we get to work and try to be the best we can be for each other, and when one is not going well, try to pick each other up. There’s no jealousy. There’s not a jealous bone in our bodies. We’re never jealous of one another. Ever.”
Recognizing the Pacers’ offensive prowess, the Lakers put pressure on the game early on and took advantage of every scoring opportunity. In the first quarter, six of Davis’ ten shots were made. He has only taken ten shots or more in a quarter of the season twice already this year.
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James compared Davis’ dominant performance to that of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal ( Image: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Often attacking the paint, he placed so much pressure on his key defender, Myles Turner, that he fouled out. Putting Davis in a position to succeed is one of James’ duties, and on Saturday night, that is precisely what transpired. Regarding LeBron, Davis remarked, “He’ll say things like, ‘Let’s get AD going,’ or ‘Run this for AD.'”
“He’s doing a good job of making sure that I get my touches to have an opportunity to take over ballgames like tonight. So, he’s been in my corner through the ups and downs and the indifferent. He’s always been a guy who I can count on, who I can lean on for advice, or he just knows. He just knows me. … I just had that look tonight and he said, ‘I’m going to follow your lead.’ And he was able to, and the team was able to allow me to be the guy and just feed off of it.”
The Lakers, who have now won 12 of their previous 16 games, created history by becoming the first-ever NBA Cup victors. Each player took home a $500,000 cash award, and the team plans to maintain its recent success as it climbs to fifth place in the Western Conference.