Anthony Davis entered the Los Angeles Lakers matchup with the Denver Nuggets battling flu-like symptoms. But that didn’t stop him from slowing down All-Star center Nikola Jokic and making key stops at the rim when it mattered most. In addition to scoring 25 points and collecting 10 rebounds, Davis was huge down the stretch defensively and held Jokic to just 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting with five turnovers.
Following the Lakers 105-96 win over the Nuggets that improved their record to 18-3 on the season, LeBron James continued to sing A.D.’s praises on the defensive end of the floor. James finished with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds while declaring Davis the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year during his media session after the game.
“He’s been doing it all year,” LeBron said of Davis according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Playing through injuries, playing through illness like he did tonight. He’s the Defensive Player of the Year, and he showed tonight once again playing one-on-one versus ‘Joker’ in the post.
“When there were switches, going on with Jamal Murray, playing one-on-one versus a small. Got stop after stop after stop. Just a monster game for him.”
Seven of A.D.’s rebounds came on the defensive end and he also finished with one block while earning a game-high plus/minus of +11. The Lakers as a team held Denver to 40% shooting from the field and just 20% from 3-point range. A.D. is now averaging 2.7 blocks per contest which is good for second in the NBA overall behind Jonathan Isaac at 2.8.
Los Angeles will continue their road trip tonight when they meet a Utah Jazz team that will be another tough test–especially on a back-to-back. The Jazz are currently at 12-9 on the season and feature a unit that ranks among the top-10 in the NBA in defensive rating. While their offense has struggled thus far, the Jazz are still led by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert who the Lakers will need to meet with energy and effort once again defensively.