“It’s That Time Of The Year”: Anthony Davis Throws Subtle ‘LeBron James Warning’ As Lakers Await Potential Play-In Battle Vs Warriors

Having lost their late January matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, the Los Angeles Lakers redeemed themselves on Tuesday night. The earlier matchup posed D’Angelo Russel against Dejounte Murray, because of the coming trade deadline. However, the recent matchup modeled the entire Lakers unit against their chances for the playoffs; technically, every regular season game left potentially does. With that, as LeBron James led the Lakers to an efficient 136-105 win, Anthony Davis handed a stern warning to the league.

Over the last 2 games, LeBron James has connected on 25 of his 37 attempts, amounting to a 67% efficiency. When Anthony Davis was asked about LBJ’s surge, he addressed the pressure of the season. While citing every regulation game akin to a playoff competition, he described James’ takeover by saying, “It’s that time of the year.” Apart from James’ shooting, Davis addressed the King’s knack of finding open looks for his teammates, saying, “He’s been shooting the ball extremely well. Been in attack mode in finding guys, been locking in defensively.”

James, because of age doing a number on his body, has relied on his experience to stay ahead of the competition. His recent surge is an indication of the gradual changes he has been making to dominate the coming stretch of challenging games.

Going beyond the recent two games, James has made 51 of the 95 shots across the last 5 games. These include playing games against the young and blazing Minnesota and Sacramento Kings, the Warriors, and the Hawks.

Despite LeBron James’ burst, it was a team win

Despite LBJ’s efficient overalls, the win against the Hawks was a unified effort from the purple and gold. D’Angelo Russell 60% from the three to score 27 points, and dished 10 dimes for his 7th double-double of the season. On the frontcourt, Anthony Davis took care of the business. With 2 steals and 6 assists, AD dominated the paint, posting 22 points and 15 rebounds.

LeBron James’ performance could be assumed the best of both worlds. James made 10 of his 14 shots from the field (71.4%) while assisting in 10 plays. Moreover, he garnered 7 rebounds within 29 minutes of court time.

For the Hawks, Jalen Johnson led the way, scoring 25 points and 9 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dejounte Murray added 17 and 13 points, respectively. The Hawks, going 6-6 since Trae Young’s absence, will now travel to Arizona to face the Phoenix Suns.

On the other hand, the Lakers remain in a constant back-and-forth with the Warriors on the sour end of the play-in bracket. Ending a 2 game-losing rut, the Lakers will now face the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers early this weekend.

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