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USA Today via Reuters
Dec 9, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Anthony Davis (3) celebrate after winning the in season tournament championship final against the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/2023-12-10T051108Z_172204954_MT1USATODAY22075921_RTRMADP_3_NBA-IN-SEASON-TOURNAMENT-INDIANA-PACERS-AT-LOS-ANGELES-LAKERS.jpg?width=600)
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 9, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Anthony Davis (3) celebrate after winning the in season tournament championship final against the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The City of Angels finally got their second consecutive victory after a long streak of defeats. They were just able to beat the refreshed squad of the Toronto Raptors by just one point, with the score being 132-131. The Raptors players even put up some amazing performances with Scottie Barns and Pascal Siakam getting 26 and 25 points each. However, due to the mesmerizing skills displayed by the 8x All-Star Anthony Davis, the match just turned upside down.
In the post-match interview, the cornerstone of the Lakers, LeBron James, spoke about the importance of AD and how they need him for the franchises’ success.
LeBron James speaks about his role in assisting AD
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Anthony Davis showed his dominance on the court by putting up a season-high 41 points. However, he did not stop there and got 11 rebounds and 6 assists to aid his team to glory. Not just him, but even LeBron James got 12 assists in this game and complemented Davis saying, “When I have those high assists, most of them go to AD and that works very well for our team.” But James did not stop there and made a huge statement by saying, “It’s always important for us to look AD throughout the game cuz obviously teams know how dynamic he is. So we can’t win without AD. That’s impossible.”
From the first quarter itself, the 30-year-old center displayed his dominance as he was the only player who had double digits at the end, 16 points. Davis even had a perfect free-throw record this game, hitting all eleven of them perfectly. However, in this game, the Lakers showed their teamwork and supported each other, which was lacking before.
By the end of the second half, even the Akron Hammer showed off his offensive prowess and got 22 points. Austin Reaves supported his team with his playmaking, picking up 7 assists, and aided his team in the offensive area by scoring 11 points. Davis even praised his entire team in the post-match interview, saying, “All our guys came in and did a heck of a job.” However, what went wrong with the Raptors?
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Raptors’ head coach Darko Rajakovic’s may get fined
The Toronto Raptors’ head coach, Darko Rajakovic, voiced his anger with the refereeing in the close game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was notably more agitated due to the huge free-throw difference between both teams. Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 11 for 11 from the line, while the Raptors as a team only made two free throws. Due to that, Rajakovic slammed the officials and questioned them about no-foul calls given to his star player, Scottie Barnes.
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However, in the end, despite putting up extremely good performances as a team, the Raptors lost against the City of Angels. But with Rajakovic heated debates with the officials and his passionate rant, the league might just end up fining him for his actions. What do you think, should the NBA fine Rajakovic? Let us know in the comments below.
Watch this Story: “Quarterback” Lebron James Rebukes Himself for Failed Crucial Play With Anthony Davis in Mavs Stinger