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The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat last night to notch their seventh win of the season. It was their second win in a row, with both of them coming in overtime. Following the hard-fought victory, star Anthony Davis went into Michael Jordan mode during the post-game interview.

Davis was asked to comment on the change in mindset following the loss against the Trail Blazers earlier this week. It was a surprising loss, and the 15-point deficit didn’t reflect how poorly the Lakers played. But the purple and gold have bounced back with two strong wins after that.

“After that Portland loss, we took that personally,” Davis said. “We’re not that type of team – no energy, no effort & a little bit of selfishness. We just tried to change that and get wins.”

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Jordan became famous for the phrase “I took it personally” during the Last Dance documentary. So AD must have thought about the Bulls legend when he quoted it.

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Anthony Davis stepping up in LeBron James’ absence

After playing just seven minutes against the Blazers due to a stomach illness, Davis was determined to come back stronger. He had 32 points and 12 rebounds vs the Hornets in their next game, followed by 24 and 13 last night. The team needed him desperately with all the injury issues, and he rose to the occasion.

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With LeBron out for at least a week, the responsibility to carry the team lies with him and Russell Westbrook. Since last season, many fans have criticized AD for not stepping up as a leader in Bron’s absence. So this is a great opportunity to prove those critics wrong.

At his best, there are very few players who can dominate on both ends like Davis. Although he had just one block and one steal last night, he improved the effort on defense after a slow start to the season. Against the Hornets, he had a monstrous five blocks and three steals game. He is slowly reaching his DPOY potential, and this will be the key to the Lakers’ success.

USA Today via Reuters

They now face a struggling Minnesota team in their next game on Friday. It will be a box-office battle between two elite bigs as AD will take on Wolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns. Davis’ performance in that game will decide the outcome for the Lakers. So fans will be hoping he is ready for the moment.

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