Anthony Davis didn’t score when guarded by P.J. Tucker in Game 1

In 26 possessions during Game 1 with Tucker as the primary defender on him, Davis shot 0-of-1 from the field and had two turnovers.

Houston Rockets veteran P.J. Tucker has seen the memes. Technically, he’s a 6-foot-5 starting center, and it does look odd to see him defend All-Star big men like Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t effective, though. Per ESPN Stats & Information, Davis didn’t score in 26 possessions against Tucker during Friday’s Game 1, which Houston won in a 112-97 rout (box score). Davis missed his only shot and had two turnovers with Tucker as the primary defender.

Data compiled by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon shows that Tucker’s success versus the 6-foot-10 star goes back to the regular season, as well.

According to Second Spectrum data, Davis has averaged only 10.2 shot attempts and commits 9.1 turnovers per 100 possessions when being defended by Tucker in the half court. Nobody who has defended Davis for more than 30 possessions had forced a higher turnover rate or held him to fewer shot attempts per possession.

The Rockets were +19 in Tucker’s 36 minutes, making for the highest plus/minus of any player in the game. Going by traditional statistics, he finished with six points and nine rebounds, but that doesn’t come close to telling the whole story of how well he played in Game 1.

In postgame comments, Tucker said:

I laugh at all the memes and the stuff everybody comes up with. But you’ve got to play, man. It’s basketball, you’ve got to play. Yeah, I’m short, but I’m strong and I can move my feet and stay in front of anybody. I’m not going to quit. I’m going to fight every play.

They’re going to score. Those guys are two of the best players of our generation. They’re going to score the ball. They’re going to score a lot of times, but we’re going to try to make it tough, try to make them work hard and try to wear them down during the game. That’s all you can do, is fight. We’re fighters.

“P.J.’s taken the challenge all his life,” said head coach Mike D’Antoni, whose defense ranks No. 1 in the NBA in net rating for the playoffs.

“That’s why he’s in the NBA.”

Led by Tucker on Davis and Eric Gordon picking up LeBron James, Houston’s small-but-versatile defense held the top-seeded Lakers to just 42 points in the second half and only 18 in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers will attempt to adjust as they prepare for Sunday’s Game 2, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. Central in a national ABC telecast.

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