Anthony Davis was not going to let the Los Angeles Lakers lose on the same night they celebrated the career of Pau Gasol, so he went out and demolished the Memphis Grizzlies with an absurd performance — one that completed a feat the franchise had never seen in nearly 20 years and was last achieved by Shaquille O’Neal.
Via NBA’s official Twitter account:
AD put up a monster performance in the @Lakers W, becoming the first Laker to drop multiple 30+ PTS, 20+ REB games in a season since Shaq in 2003-2004!
Against the Grizzlies, Anthony Davis erupted for 30 points, making 11 of his 17 attempts from the field and all of his nine shots from the free-throw line. In addition, Davis also grabbed 22 rebounds, dished out three dimes, and swatted away two shots all in 36 minutes of work. The performance came months after he had his first 30-20 game of the 2022-23 NBA season when he posted 37 points and 21 rebounds, albeit in a 115-105 loss on the road to the Phoenix Suns back in November.
Anthony Davis’ outstanding showing in the Grizzlies game also served as a great reminder to the rest of the league that he remains one of the best big men in the NBA. When healthy, Davis can singlehandedly carry the Lakers to wins. It’s just a matter of consistency for Davis and, of course, being healthy.
The win over the Grizzlies improved the Lakers’ record to 32-34, good enough for ninth place in the Western Conference standings and just 2.0 games behind the sixth spot in the West.
