"I told 'Bron at the half, I wanted to take some of the pressure off of him"
Sunday 23 August 2020 09:12, UK
Anthony Davis set out to share the workload with LeBron James on Saturday night, and share the workload he did.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward witnessed the 16-time All-Star put up 22 points in the first half alone on his way towards a game total of 38 along with 12 rebounds and eight assists in a 116-108 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Davis backed up his teammate emphatically after the interval with 23 points in the second half as he finished with 29, as well as 11 rebounds and eight assists.
He also produced a game-high three blocks, including one of three in succession late in the fourth quarter, Danny Green grabbing the other two while defending Gary Trent Jr and Damian Lillard.
"I told 'Bron at the half, I wanted to take some of the pressure off of him," said Davis.
"Only three shot attempts in the first half and I missed a ton of free throws, but I didn't want him to just carry the team the entire time. I wanted to take some pressure off of him.
"You've got guys trying to get into him and make it tough for him. Picking him up [on defense] 94 feet. Just trying to take some pressure off."
Davis was 11 of 18 from the field, zero of two from three-point range and seven of 14 at the free-throw line, while James matched him from the field, nailed four of his eight attempts from distance and hit 12 of 17 free throws.
The pair became the first Lakers teammates with 25 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in Game 7 of the 2002 West Finals against the Sacramento Kings. James, meanwhile, moved into second on the list of all-time NBA playoff victories, leapfrogging Tim Duncan.
"He's been doing this for a long time," Davis said of James.
"There's nothing I can say that he hasn't heard or seen already. My job's just to kind of be there. If he wants to talk about something, I'm there, but in the game, he's so locked in.
"He's been doing this for a long time, been in this situation for many a time. It's not much that he hasn't seen. I still say what I got to say, and even if he doesn't respond, I know he's listening."
