Anthony

Davis

After a strong first half, AD exited the game briefly due to a left shoulder injury. While he was able to play through it, he really wasn’t the same player after that. 16 of his 17 points came before halftime, and if he stayed healthy, the result of this game may have been different. AD has been banged up all season, but he was still able to play a career-high 77 games. Davis has been knocked in fantasy hoops over the last few years by his lack of games played, but he may have flipped the script this season. He should go earlier in drafts next season, with managers hoping that he will be healthy once again.

Both of LA’s superstars will play in Game 5 as they look to stay alive for at least one more game. They secure a home win in Game 4 and will now have to get a victory in Denver in order to extend their season by another game.

With the Lakers’ backs against the wall, Davis was sensational in Game 4. And individual performances were not an issue for him in the series’ first three games. Davis matched his playoff career-high with 23 rebounds and was incredibly efficient on offense, shooting well above 50% from the field while only committing one turnover (with six assists). Davis is going to get his numbers. That much is certain. The question is how involved he will be offensively during crunch time. That did not appear to be an issue in Game 4, and the Lakers will need another dominant effort in Game 5 on Monday night in Denver.

Unsurprisingly, Davis will be available to play in this game. He’ll need to have a big night to keep the series and their season alive for at least one more game.

This could be the last game of their season. Davis isn’t going to miss this one, no matter how bad he’s hurting. He’ll play a ton of minutes as they look to keep their season alive.

Davis did take more shots in the fourth quarter of Game 3 (three) than in Game 2 (one), but it did not matter as the Lakers suffered an 11th straight loss to the Nuggets. He has produced quality individual stat lines when playing against Nikola Jokic, but it has not impacted winning. Look for Davis to play heavy minutes in Game 4 on Saturday, as the Lakers need a win to extend their season. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, the odds aren’t in their favor, given recent history.

It’s no surprise that James and Davis are available, as they were probable on the initial injury report. They’ll take on their usual responsibilities, with the latter possibly being more of a focal point offensively after attempting just one shot in the fourth quarter of Game 2.

Once again, Davis produced a gaudy stat line against the Nuggets. Unfortunately for him and the Lakers, they still lost the game, as Jamal Murray’s stepback jumper as time expired was the difference. And Davis offered little in the fourth quarter, missing his lone shot attempts and going scoreless with one rebound and one turnover. If the Lakers are to have a chance of winning the series, AD can’t be non-existent in crunch time. The good news for Los Angeles is that Game 3 isn’t until Thursday in Los Angeles, as the team looked gassed down the stretch on Monday.

Given the stakes, James and Davis will be available for Monday’s Game 2. They’re still showing up on the injury report, more so because the Lakers need to cover themselves regarding league injury reporting news than anything else. The Lakers will look to even the series at one win apiece on Monday before the scene shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3.

Davis played phenomenally in last season’s Western Conference Finals against Denver, averaging 26.8 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in the four-game series loss. He kicked off that series with a 40 burger, and he came to play this year as well. Davis tied opposing big man Nikola Jokic for game lead in the scoring department, and AD paced all players on the glass. LeBron James posted a 27/6/8 line, but was mostly quiet in the second half, and it’s clear that Davis will have to be the best player on the court if the Lakers have any chance of advancing past this horrendous first-round matchup. Game 2 tips off on Monday back in Denver.