Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers prevailed 110-103 during Tuesday’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Along the way, Davis’ co-star LeBron James and his son, Lakers rookie guard Bronny James, made NBA history by playing together. Afterward, Davis quipped about LeBron finally winning while accomplishing a significant milestone.
LeBron and Bronny subbed in with 4:00 remaining in the second quarter, becoming the first father-son duo to suit up in the same contest.
While their landmark achievement was the talk of the NBA world, it seemingly didn’t distract LA. Bronny checked out three minutes later, and the Lakers went on to secure a seven-point victory, led by Davis. The nine-time All-Star recorded a game-high 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, shooting 47.8%.
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During his postgame interview, Davis joked about the Lakers’ tendency to come up short in games that LeBron makes history. That includes when the four-time MVP surpassed franchise legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Likewise, they lost when LeBron became the first player to reach 40,000 career points.
“This is the first time we’ve had a LeBron moment that was something huge and we won,” Davis said.
Davis added that LA’s opening-night victory made the momentous father-son “moment” extra satisfying for his squad.
“Every other we’ve always lost, so it kind of kills the moment, but it was a special moment for everybody,” Davis said.
Bronny didn’t score during his first three minutes of regular-season action, missing his only two shot attempts. Nevertheless, the evening should be an unforgettable one for the James family.
With their victory, the Lakers started the JJ Redick coaching era strong, dispatching a Timberwolves squad coming off a Western Conference finals appearance.
LA (1-0) next hosts the Phoenix Suns (0-0) on Friday.
Anthony Davis achieves career milestone with dominant performance against Minnesota
Anthony Davis also achieved a career milestone during Tuesday’s season opener against the Timberwolves.
With his 36-point, 16-rebound performance, Davis notched his 100th career 25-point, 15-rebound game.
The superstar big man is coming off the healthiest year of his career, appearing in 76 of 82 contests last season. He placed fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, garnering his ninth All-Star selection and fifth All-NBA nod.
So, with his sensational opening-night showing, Anthony Davis appears to be picking up where he left off.