LOS ANGELES — The Lakers were in danger of losing another game to another sub.-500 team. Then Anthony Davis reminded everyone of his impressive skill set.
Davis pushed the Lakers to victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, 99-94, thanks to a 30-point, 15-rebound effort that continued well into the fourth quarter Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers needed every ounce of Davis’ production to avoid a fourth consecutive loss as LeBron James sat out another game because of a sore left knee.
It was Davis’ most thorough game since returning from a six-week absence because of a sprained knee ligament. He looked strong in every facet, with the exception of some missed free throws down the stretch.
“Starting to get back to my old self. A lot of energy, play to exhaustion,” Davis said.
He also kept alive two late possessions with offensive rebounds.
“A.D. had some great sequences of just boarding in traffic. He came down with some dirty rebounds that helped secure the victory,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.
The Lakers (25-27) also needed a lift from Carmelo Anthony, who turns 38 in a few months but was the Lakers’ second-best player Wednesday. He scored 24 points and made five three-pointers against Portland.
It was Anthony’s night all the way, in case his fall-out-of-bounds three-pointer as the shot clock wound down on a second-quarter possession didn’t hammer home the point.
“His play, along with his shot-making ability, have been great for us,” Davis said, adding that Anthony had mentored him in a way. “He’s been great. He’s been helping me all year in the post. He’s always talking to me, to the guys, what he sees on the floor, what he thinks we should do, what he thinks we should be running.”
The Lakers will need Anthony and Davis in a quick turnaround Thursday against the Clippers, especially if James doesn’t play. He won’t necessarily come back soon from his knee soreness, Vogel said.
In fact, a report from The Athletic said James wouldn’t return until at least next week.
“The number one goal is that he’s healthy for the long haul,” Vogel said after the Lakers practiced on Tuesday. “Everything else is less important.”
Wednesday’s game won’t be among either team’s top 10 this season. The game wasn't exactly aesthetically pleasing. Nor did it make sense.
Portland outscored the Lakers in points off turnovers, 24-1, but couldn’t pull off the win. The Lakers made only 22 of 33 free-throw attempts but still won.
Anfernee Simons led Portland (21-31) with 19 points.