LeBron James was spotted in some animated conversation with injured Lakers star Anthony Davis towards the end of their Nets game.
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The Lakers were the odds-on favorites in practically everyone’s eyes before the 13th of January. Brooklyn pulled off the blockbuster trade of the season after that, landing James Harden from the Houston Rockets.
That move had been in anticipation for over a month before that. Players like Josh Hart essentially said that the NBA would be over as a contest with these three on the same side. Based on evidence from the last 5 games, that seems certainly like the case.
After giving up over 57% from the field to the lowly Detroit Pistons, the Nets knew they needed to turn a corner. They have been able to achieve exactly that in the games since. Holding the Lakers to fewer than 100 points in this game must certainly be satisfying for Steve Nash.
The Lakers definitely missed Anthony Davis on the night. The forward would have allowed LeBron to punish the undersized Nets effectively. Instead, James had to watch his teammates brick over 70% of their 3-pointers on the night.
LeBron James discusses the Nets offense with Anthony Davis
Towards the end of the game, James went to the bench with the Nets effectively out of reach. This was in the wake of him shooting an airball from the right wing.
James tallied 32, 8 and 7 on the night, but he was clearly scouting the Nets more than simply looking to win. He must definitely have acquired quite a few insights into their play. It was evident that he was getting something tactical out in the open in his discussion with Anthony Davis.
James and Davis will have a real job in their hands if they do manage to get out of the East. There seems to be no way to stop all 3 elite isolation scorers from going off 4 times out of 7.
