Early in the second half of a mostly lopsided game Tuesday night, Austin Reaves tried to flip the ball behind his back to LeBron James.
For most of the first half, the Lakers were in Harlem Globetrotter form, the ball whistling around from one player to the next. It was the kind of offensive rhythm they’ve been in over the last month or so, as they’ve transformed into a top-10 offense during that stretch.
But this time, the Lakers were too loose, the ball squirting free to trigger a three-on-one fast break for the Detroit Pistons early in the third quarter.
In most situations, this would mean trouble. But when the one Laker back is Anthony Davis, the equation flips.
“We (were) testing him,” James deadpanned. “We turned the ball over and then absolutely nobody got back. And it was a 3-on-1 and we were testing to see if he is the Defensive Player of the Year or not. And he showed it. He showed why.”
Davis easily erased Jaden Ivey’s layup at the rim, Davis drew a foul, and on the next possession, D’Angelo Russell hit a three-pointer — the kind of sequence Davis has triggered all season.
In the Lakers’ final home game before the All-Star break, Davis dominated all over the court, shooting, scoring, passing and defending as his team beat the lowly Pistons 125-111.
“He’s been our anchor ever since I’ve been here. That’s who he’s been, from college to the pros. Tonight was no different,” Darvin Ham said. “Just his activity, him covering for his teammates, three-on-one, his intelligence, knowing when to time the shot block attempt and he blocked it, kept in play and was able to get it back down to us. That’s just who he is — he’s going to make those types of plays.”
Davis scored 20 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out four assists to go with six blocked shots while resting the entire fourth quarter. He’s only the third player this season to have those numbers in a game and the fifth to ever do it in less than 30 minutes.
Tuesday was his seventh game this year with at least five blocked shots.
Davis downplayed the Defensive Player of the Year talk – an award he’s never one despite being regarded as one of the best all-around defenders in the game when healthy.
“I feel like I should have won it a couple times but didn’t, so, I mean, at this point, I’m just trying to win,” he said. “Continue to have a presence on the defensive end, and if that seems to be in the plans for me to win it this year, then obviously it’ll be exciting for me to have one of those under my belt.
“But I feel like I got hustled out of a couple of them, you know, in my career. So it is what it is.”
The Lakers (28-25), one game removed from all five starters scoring at least 20 points, had all five starters get at least 15, the team building a 24-point lead early in the second half before holding off the Pistons the rest of the way.
It was the Lakers’ fifth win in their last six games, with the team team playing Wednesday in Utah before heading into the All-Star break.
“Going up to Utah tomorrow, having a complete performance and really pouring into that game. We need that game,” Ham said. “(But) just the totality of the situation. I’m really happy about where we are and where we’re trending.”
While the team was quiet at the trade deadline, Spencer Dinwiddie, regarded as the top player on the buyout market, debuted with his hometown team and scored six points to go with seven assists in a bench-high 31 minutes. He did have four turnovers.
“Obviously he’s still trying to learn what we’re trying to do offensively and defensively but I think his pace, his ability to break down defenses and his passing ability – being able to find guys, no matter if they were going in or not,” James said. “But to have seven assists and play off the ball, play on the ball, he was really good for us.”
The Lakers had 32 assists as a team, the 12th time they’ve had 30 or more in their last 18 games.
“It’s fun playing this way,” Davis said.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
