NBA Twitter reacts to Anthony Davis’ huge performance vs. Timberwolves: ‘Defensive Player of the Year’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to Anthony Davis’ huge performance against the Timberwolves.

Anthony Davis was unstoppable Sunday night in the Lakers’ 120-109 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

AD became the first player to put up 27 points, 25 rebounds, five assists, seven steals, and three blocks.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to his incredible performance.

Report: Warriors explored trade for Lakers’ LeBron James at deadline

The Warriors reportedly unsuccessful in exploring a trade for the Lakers star forward at the deadline.

Despite struggling through the first half of the season, the Golden State Warriors stayed relatively quiet at the NBA trade deadline.

Outside of trading Cory Joseph to the Indiana Pacers, the Warriors’ core remained intact through the deadline after trade rumors swirled around players like Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Klay Thompson. 

However, the Warriors reportedly explored a blockbuster move with a longtime rival. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Warriors unsuccessfully tried to convince the Lakers to consider a trade for LeBron James.

Via @wojespn on Twitter:

Despite their initial attempt, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and owner Joe Lacob were both told the Lakers wanted to keep the four-time NBA champ, according to Wojnarowski.

Both the Lakers and Warriors have struggled throughout the first half of the 2023-24 season with both teams sitting outside the top-eight seeds in the Western Conference standings.

The Warriors and James have a long-standing rivalry dating back to his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their multiple battles in the NBA Finals. At age 39-year-old, James is still playing at an ultra high-caliber level, averaging 24.8 points on 52% shooting from the field to go along with 7.8 assists and 7.2 rebounds in 49 games.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

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NBA Twitter reacts to Warriors wanting to trade for LeBron James: ‘This doesn’t even sound real’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the latest report about the Warriors making a bid to the Lakers for LeBron James.

According to ESPN, the Warriors wanted to trade for LeBron James before the trade deadline.

Yes, you read that right. Golden State made an unsuccessful bid to convince the Lakers and LeBron to consider a trade to pair him with long-time rival, Stephen Curry.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the latest Woj bomb.

Rich Paul’s denial of LeBron James trade rumors shows us exactly how cooked the Lakers are

The Lakers just don’t seem to know what to do anymore

Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes

Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had a fantastic week so far.

I’m almost certain it was probably less chaotic than the Lakers’ week was. Because, whew boy, what a mess it’s been.

LA starts the week off with two back-to-back 16-point losses to the Rockets and Hawks respectively. Then, LeBron James does his passive-aggressive emoji Tweet thing again and the internet explodes. At that point, it’s only Wednesday.

On Thursday, the team gets a good win over the Celtics without James and Anthony Davis playing, but it gets overshadowed by LEBRON JAMES TRADE RUMORS. You cannot make this up.

Rich Paul released a statement on Friday saying the Lakers wouldn’t be trading James (which is so ironic coming from a player agent, btw!) and that James is not actively seeking a trade. So there’s that on that, I guess.

But, wait. Isn’t this kind of weird? Have we ever seen this before?

Sure, people have talked about James being traded before. But that was more media speculation than anything. There was nothing credible that said James would be on the move. And, most importantly, it never felt real.

This current moment we’re in doesn’t feel like it’s real, but it also does feel possible. And, clearly, there’s enough here today for Rich Paul to come out and actively say “Hey, my guy isn’t getting moved.” That speaks volumes to how down the Lakers are right now.

Things are horrendous. The team has floated around at .500 essentially all season. James and Davis have largely been healthy, too — there’s no using that excuse this time. The Lakers just aren’t…very good. And there’s no move out there that might be able to improve this team except for, well, trading one of its two stars.

That’s exactly why Paul felt the need to come out and dispel things this time. Because, for the first time in a long time, LeBron James might not be enough to save his team.

That’s the reality that we’re seeing. It’s what the Lakers — and James, himself, for that matter —  have to live with.

A $1.3 million snub

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

All-Star snubs are almost always devastating. But when they’re tied to money? Whew, boy, that has to hurt a little worse.

We can ask Domantas Sabonis about that today. A clause in the King’s big man’s contract would’ve activated giving him a $1.3 million bonus had he made an All-Star team this year. He missed out, meaning he doesn’t get that cash.

Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with more.

“The three-time All-Star had tough competition to represent the Western Conference. Sabonis ranked top-10 among all frontcourt players in the West when it came to fan voting, player voting, and media voting.

That put him ahead of Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns in weighted rank, but reserves are chosen by the 30 coaches in the NBA. Towns made the team (perhaps surprisingly) while Sabonis was not selected.

But his omission was the most costly among the potential candidates. As noted by ESPN’s Bobby Marks, not making the All-Star Game will cost him a $1.3 million bonus from the Kings.

Sabonis currently ranks fifth-best among all NBA players in win shares, which is an advanced catch-all metric that measures overall value to a team. He trails only MVP frontrunners Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.”

That’s tough. I’ll never wish injury on anyone, but if there’s an injury replacement Sabonis might still be able to get in. But you hate to see him have to rely on someone else’s downfall to get a spot here — especially considering the season he’s had.

The Decision

Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Nneka Ogwumike might shift the balance of power in the WNBA over the weekend.

After six seasons in Los Angeles, Ogwumike is leaving the Sparks and looking to play for a contender as LA kicks off its rebuild. Some potential powerhouses are in the mix between the Chicago Sky, New York Liberty and Seattle Storm, ESPN reports.

This decision could shift the balance of power in the WNBA drastically.

— New York is already a superteam with Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu. Adding Ogwumike to this mix along with the elite guard play around them would likely make New York a Finals favorite.

— The Storm would be scary here, too. Seattle has an elite backcourt between Jewell Loyd and the addition of Skylar Diggins-Smith. Adding Ogwumike to that mix is scary for the West.

— The Chicago Sky would have a combo of Kahleah Copper and Ogwumike if she chooses to sign there. Not a Big 3, sure, but still a scary team, certainly.

We don’t know when a decision is coming, but it’ll likely be soon considering how much movement there has already been.

Keep it locked on our WNBA free agency tracker for an update when the moment comes.

Shootaround

— Jalen Brunson holding back tears during MVP chants from the Knicks crowd is the stuff dreams are made of. Bryan has more here.

Bill Walton hilariously thinks Chewbacca is based on him. No, seriously.

— Here’s Mary Clarke on Joel Embiid falling out of the MVP race because of his meniscus injury.

— Here are 10 potential injury replacements for the All-Star game from Bryan. The East might need a couple.

NBA Twitter reacts to Lakers beating OKC: ‘This team is confusing’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Lakers beating the Thunder on MLK Day.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105, behind 27 points and 15 rebounds from Anthony Davis on MLK Day.

LeBron James added 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists for a much-needed Lakers victory.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to it.

NBA Twitter reacts to Suns blowing out Lakers in LA: ‘Trade rumors about to heat up’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Phoenix Suns dominating the Lakers in Los Angeles.

The Phoenix Suns blew out the Los Angeles Lakers 127-109 in LA on Thursday night led by Bradley Beal’s 37-point game.

The Lakers are now 5-11 since winning the In-Season Tournament and currently sit in the 10th seed in the Western Conference.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to Phoenix’s statement win over the Lakers.

NBA Twitter reacts to Lakers-Raptors officiating: ‘Sometimes the 10, 12, 15 or 29 straight calls just aren’t gonna go your way’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Lakers beating the Raptors in a late-game controversial thriller.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors in a late-game thriller 132-131 on Tuesday night, with Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic going on a rant about the officiating post-game.

The Raptors fans weren’t happy with the referees and the free-throw disparity between the two teams, while LeBron James simply stated that Toronto fouled and the Lakers did not.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to a controversial ending in Los Angeles.

NBA Twitter reacts to Lakers beating Clippers in close game: ‘Even though the Lakers won, Darvin Ham’s days are numbered’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Lakers beating the Clippers in a close game.

The Los Angeles Lakers ended their four-game losing streak with a close 106-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

LeBron James (25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) and Anthony Davis (22 points, ten rebounds) led the way for the Lakers, while Norman Powell missed the potential game-tying three-pointer for the Clippers.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to yet another close battle between the two LA teams.

NBA Twitter reacts to Lakers’ In-Season Tournament Final win: ‘Going to tell my grandkids about the 2023 ISTF Anthony Davis’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Lakers winning the first-ever In-Season Tournament.

The Los Angeles Lakers have won the first NBA In-Season Tournament after beating the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the Final.

Anthony Davis was unstoppable with a huge double-double of 41 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, while LeBron James added 24 points and 11 rebounds. Austin Reaves added scoring off the bench with 25 points as well.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to AD’s performance and the Lakers title.

NBA Twitter reacts to Lakers’ 44-point win over Pelicans in IST semifinal: ‘Summer League team back in action in Vegas tonight’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Lakers blowing out the Pelicans in the semifinal of the In-Season Tournament.

The Los Angeles Lakers are heading to the In-Season Tournament Final to take on the Indiana Pacers.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and crew dominated since the first half and eventually blew out the New Orleans Pelicans 133-89.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the second semifinal of the night.