“Anthony Davis joined hallowed air alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last night”: Lakers star posts statline comparable to GOAT centers after LeBron James’ ejection vs Detroit Pistons

Isaiah Stewart and LeBron James grabbed all the headlines last night, but Anthony Davis outdid himself, joining some hallowed statistical company.

The Lakers looked like a spent force for at least 3 quarters on Sunday night. Detroit were obviously younger, but there were times when they also looked smarter and more cunning than LA.

After generating a paltry first-quarter lead, the Lakers surrendered it in double-quick time. They entered their locker room down by 7 points at halftime. That 7-point lead swelled to double digits in the early minutes of the 3rd quarter.

A visibly shaken and frustrated LeBron James was ejected after his sharp elbow opened up a facial wound on Isaiah Stewart. The latter could barely be held back by several arena and coaching staff as he tried to charge at LeBron.

Both of them were ejected and the Lakers gave up a 17-point margin at one point in the 3rd. They did, however, begin finding some rhythm late in the 3rd quarter through the evergreen Melo.

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Russell Westbrook powered them with 9 straight points at the start of the 4th. But it fell to Anthony Davis to play some championship-level basketball, and the big man responded.

There was a spell in the final minute of gametime when AD blocked #1 pick Cade Cunningham twice, got the ball and scored on the other end as the Lakers ran down in semi-transition. It highlighted the kind of impact the Brow is capable of having on a game.

A look at Anthony Davis’ stats from the Lakers win vs Detroit

Anthony Davis was widely panned, and unfairly at that, for Giannis scoring 47 points against the Lakers last week. He seems to have taken that ridiculous criticism to heart, however, and has been absolutely balling out since.

The 6’10” power forward/center notched up a statline of 30 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks on the night. This is a bonkers stat in its own right. But what really sets it apart is how far back one has to go for a performance like this.

According to statmuse.com, the last player to notch up such a statline was Hakeem Olajuwon. He did it against the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves back in 1993.

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Clearly, reports of AD becoming Day-to-Davis and ‘Street Clothes’ – to quote Charles Barkley – were wildly exaggerated. This is an MVP-caliber player with an extremely rare physical profile and possibly rarer skillset.