Anthony Davis has heard enough of the inconsistency jokes.
The Los Angeles Lakers center has statistically been the best big man in the entire NBA Playoffs thus far. He's done things on the court that we haven't seen since Shaquille O'Neal in the early 2000s. But that hasn't stopped fans and critics alike from commenting on his up-and-down scoring numbers this postseason, nicknaming him "Always Disappointing," after his 11-point, 7-rebound performance in Game 2's blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors.
On Saturday, Davis returned to his assertive self, the version that the Lakers need to knockout the champs, and advance to the Western Conference Finals. Decorating his dominance with his trademark passion and defensive intensity, Davis finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and four blocks, leading the Lakers to a 127-97 blowout win over the Warriors in Game 3 in Los Angeles. The Lakers now lead the series 2-1.
"I have not heard it," said Davis after the victory when asked if he's heard the commentary about his performance spikes this postseason. "I'm not on social media. I haven't heard about it from my teammates or my inner circle. This is a miss-or-make league. The same shots I made in Game 1, I missed in Game 2, and the same shots I missed in Game 2, I made in Game 3. I didn't do anything differently. It is what it is."
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His scoring numbers might not always be eye-popping, but his contributions on the court this postseason, especially on the defensive end, have Davis playing as well as any superstar in the playoffs.
Take out the rollercoaster rhetoric, and Davis' numbers are still dominant. He's averaging 21.4 points, 14 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks this postseason. He also has a total of 37 blocks through nine games.
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Nonetheless, there's a justification for the fans' frustration. There has been a distinct pattern over the Lakers nine postseason games thus far. After every dominant game Davis has, he follows it up with a less-than-dominant game. Average to good by most standards, but frustrating for fans after witnessing greatness in the game prior.
Thanks to Davis, their leader LeBron James, and a stellar first half from D'Angelo Russell, the Lakers had the bounce back in their step and looked vivacious back on their home court at Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron scored 21 points, 8 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists. Whenever the Lakers needed an injection of adrenaline, the 38-year-old gave it to them. James was 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, but when his shot wasn't falling from downtown, he attacked the basket with voracity and vigor, wowing the soldout arena with spin moves and dunks.
"That's who he is. He does all the little things," said Lakers' head coach Darvin Ham of LeBron. "That's the way he's always played."
Russell scored the Lakers first 11 points of the game, as the Lakers rushed out to an early seven-point lead.
"When that kid gets into a rhythm he can flat out score," said Ham. "It was great to see."
Russell finished with 21 points and drained five-three pointers in the first half.
"Going through what I've been through has prepared me for almost anything," said Russell. "I've had some success, so I might not change that up."
However, the Warriors weren't going to go away quietly. Klay Thompson responded with 11 quick points of his own, and Golden State led by as many as 11 points midway through the second quarter, before the Lakers closed the half on a 30-8 run, as the two teams swapped 11-point leads in a five-minute span.
Led by James and Davis, the Lakers began to pull away in the third quarter. Just as the Warriors had done to them in Game 2, Los Angeles outscored Golden State by 25 points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and opened up a 20-point lead.
The Lakers spent most of the night sending multiple defenders at two-time MVP Steph Curry. The greatest shooter in NBA history still led the Warriors with 23 points, but spent most of the fourth quarter watching the blowout from the bench.
"When the game stops it's not in our favor," said Curry of all the fouls called on the Warriors. "There was a turnover, and then a barrage of whistles that changed all the momentum quickly. That was the point in which they [the Lakers] felt like they had life and they ended the quarter strong and it carried over into the second half."
The Warriors best moment of the game came in the third quarter when Andrew Wiggins wowed the crowd with a posterizing dunk on Davis.
After a close contest in Game 1 at Chase Center, back-to-back blowouts have followed. The Lakers led by as many as 34 points in the final frame and cruised to victory and the series lead.
Just like they did in Game 1, the Lakers were the more aggressive team, getting to the free throw line a whopping 37 times compared to just 17 for the Warriors.
"We're very good when we get in the paint, that's just who we are. We are a paint team first and then we spray out to the perimeter," said James of the team's ability to attack the paint and get to the free throw line. "They're called free throws for a reason so you want to make them."
Surprisingly, the Lakers were the better team from three-point range. Los Angeles shot 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) from beyond the arc compared to 13-for-44 (29 percent)for the Warriors.
There was also a large discrepancy in the turnover battle. The Warriors committed 19 turnovers, which led to 27 Lakers points. Los Angeles committed just 12 turnovers.
"I think the turnovers and our fouling," said Thompson, who had a career-high six turnovers in Game 3. "That's on me. That's inexcusable. Monday I'll be better. We can't send them to the line 37 times. That's way too many."
Not only did the stars shine on the court in Game 3, but off the court also. Plenty of celebrities were spotted at Crypto.com arena including Woody Harrelson, Michael B. Jordan, Adele, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Kevin Hart, and Kim Kardashian.
The Lakers are hoping that Davis won't follow up his stellar performance in Game 3 with another lackluster effort on Monday night. If Davis can dominate again, the Lakers can hold serve on their homecourt and take a stranglehold on the series.
According to the statistics, the team that wins back-to-back games at any point in a seven-game series, goes on to win that series over 90% of the time.
Game 4 will tip-off at 7:00PM PT on Monday night at Crypto.com arena.
