Anthony Davis is dominating the paint defensively for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Despite missing a game against the Golden State Warriors earlier this week, Davis is leading the NBA with 33 blocks on the year. He is the only player in the league averaging as many as three blocks per game as well, and none of those rejections would prove to be more critical than the one he offered last night.
With 5.5 seconds remaining, the Lakers were clinging to a 99-97 lead over the Sacramento Kings as Bogdan Bogdanovic inbounded the ball while being guarded by LeBron James. Harrison Barnes would receive the inbounds pass, fake a hand-off back to Bogdanovic, and attack the right block for a layup. Just as Barnes made his move to the basket, Davis darted over from the opposite side of the paint and fully extended with two hands to devour the shot attempt as the game clock expired for his fourth block of the night.
“The one thing we wanted to do was force him inside the 3-point line,” LeBron James said while describing the final defensive sequence of the game on Friday. “Two didn’t hurt us, they make a two we call a timeout to see if we can win the game, if not go into overtime.
“So we played it to perfection by making him go inside the line. Then when you have a shot-blocker the caliber of A.D. protecting the rim, it just made it a lot tougher on Harrison.”
The Lakers are now leading the NBA as a team with 7.3 blocks per game which is an improvement of nearly two blocks per night over last season. That work around the rim has not only helped build a 10-2 record thus far–which is currently the best in the Western Conference–but also a league-leading defensive rating of 99.8 that appears to be sustainable moving forward.
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