MY ACCOUNT
Frank Vogel hailed the “mental toughness” of Anthony Davis and his Los Angeles Lakers side after snapping a three-game losing run with a 99-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Davis stepped up in the absence of LeBron James – missing a fourth straight game with knee soreness – with a double-double of 30 points and 15 rebounds in Wednesday’s contest.
The eight-time NBA All-Star has now had at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in three games this season and has averaged 29.3 points over his last three outings.
Davis’s latest haul helped the Lakers improve to 25-27 in the Western Conference, and head coach Vogel was particularly pleased with the spirit he saw from the 28-year-old.
“He had some great sequences of grabbing rebounds in traffic,” Vogel said.
“Tonight was about mental toughness and making enough plays and shots. It was a hell of a game by Anthony.”
Nineteen of Davis’s 30 points arrived in the final 12 minutes, with seven of his 15 rebounds coming in the fourth quarter
“I just tried to come out with the mindset of ending the streak,” Davis said. “We have to play with some urgency. We just fought hard tonight. It was a great game for us.”
Carmelo Anthony added 24 for the Lakers, who had lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks in their previous three games.
Despite the best efforts of 30-point Norman Powell, Portland have now lost three in a row and five of their last six in a run that has seen them slip to 10th in the Western Conference.
“We had a couple breakdowns today,” Powell said. “We had some good stops but gave them second and third-chance opportunities.”
The Lakers are back in action against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, while Portland face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
