The Lakers' Anthony Davis bounced back in Game 2, just like usual
By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
Anthony Davis is incredibly reliable.
After he has a poor performance, he recoils. He resets. And then he roars.
Following a disappearing act in the Lakers' Game 1 loss to Phoenix in their first-round playoff series Sunday, in which he had a quiet 13 points, Davis exploded with a game-high 34 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor (18-for-21 from the line), 10 rebounds and seven assists in the team's 109-102 win in Game 2 on Tuesday, tying the series 1-1.
It was par for the course for Davis, who is his own harshest critic.
Heading into Game 2, Davis kept to himself. He didn't talk much to his teammates. He stayed late after practice shooting. He spent his free time alone on his hotel porch.
Then he let his game do his screaming.
In the first minute, he shot a fadeaway jumper, inadvertently kicking Jae Crowder in the groin with his left foot.
He stayed in the middle of the action throughout the game.
Davis hurled his body through the lane for rebounds. He dove for loose balls. He kept shooting when his shot wasn't falling. He didn't let himself get discouraged by a few airballs.
With the game on the line, he came through in the biggest of ways.
With the Lakers clinging to a paper-thin three-point lead with 2:15 left, Davis made a 26-foot 3-pointer to give his team a 98-92 advantage. In the final two minutes, he made all six of his free throws. Before LeBron James put the nail in the coffin by making a 3-pointer with 49.8 seconds remaining to put the Lakers up by 9, Davis was the one who set a screen on Crowder to get him the open look.
Davis was everywhere, doing everything.
"I played with a lot more energy and effort tonight and was very aggressive," Davis said. "I think that was the difference from Game 1."
The Lakers expected Davis to flip a switch after his lackluster performance Sunday.
It's what he always does.
When Davis turns quiet, his teammates breathe a sigh of relief. They all know what's coming.
"I’ve been around AD since I was 14 years old, and he’s been the same way since we were kids," said Andre Drummond, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds. "If he has an off night, he doesn’t really want to be bothered. He likes to be himself, and he likes to just process what goes on and find out ways to come back better the next game. And he’s still got that today."
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James knows it all too well, too.
During the Lakers' championship run last season, he joked that he'd analyze Davis' unibrow after he had poor performances. If it hung low, James knew not to speak to him.
This postseason appears to be no different.
"For the last two days, very limited communication with AD," said James, who finished with 23 points and nine assists Tuesday. "Because I seen his demeanor."
When Davis gets down on himself, James knows there's a formula he needs to follow.
James needs to give Davis space. And then he needs to give him the ball. It's an inverse relationship of sorts. The quieter Davis is off the court, the more his teammates need to look for him on it.
"He responds to games like Game 1," James said. "He’s not a guy who talks about it. He’s about it. And he goes out and [does] it. So give him the ball early, often and always."
James followed procedure.
Davis simmered Tuesday during the first half, which belonged to Dennis Schroder, who poured in 16 of his 24 points in that period. But in the second half, Davis boiled over, with 24 points in under 22 minutes as the Suns eliminated the Lakers' 15-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, Davis had a team-high 14 points, nine of which he scored from the free-throw line. He wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop him. He bared his teeth and dared the Suns to get in the way of his 235-pound body as he drove through the lane for dunks, flew around blocking shots and fearlessly fired from just about everywhere on the court.
The Suns — with leader Chris Paul slowed by an injured shoulder — couldn't stop the barrage, despite valiant efforts from Devin Booker (31 points), Deandre Ayton (22 points and 10 rebounds) and Cameron Payne (19 points and seven assists).
For Davis, what happened Tuesday was an inevitability.
His solitude was brewing up a thing of beauty. It was the calm before the storm.
The Suns might have been blindsided, but James was well aware of what was coming.
"Bron is around me a lot, so he already knew," Davis said. "I didn’t even talk to him that much. And he knows when I do that, then it will be a good night for our team."
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
