Lakers News: Ever-Deferential Anthony Davis Salutes LeBron James' Efforts Vs Portland

James stepped up where Davis couldn't in order to move the Lakers to 3-0 in Tournament play.

Your Los Angeles Lakers beat the Blazers 107-95 on Friday night, propelled by the efforts of LeBron James' season-high 35-point performance.

The Lakers may not have survived the game without him.

Teammate Anthony Davis, who put up a stat line of 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks, was quick to praise his co-star for his play.

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"LeBron James saved the day again," Davis raved after the game.

While James's offensive production saved the day, he didn't do it all by himself.

Although AD's own point total wasn't as high as he would have liked, his defensive efforts in this game were certainly impressive.

Davis finished the contest with 5 blocks, as he continues to put together his case to win his first career Defensive Player of the Year award.

The 8-time NBA All-Star and 2020 NBA champion has averaged 3.5 blocks per game this season thus far, which has been a big reason for the Lakers' success in the In-Season Tournament.

The Lakers have started off 3-0 in the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament, and lead all teams in point differential with a +42 mark.

AD's Inconsistency on Offense Continues

While Davis certainly deserves credit for his defensive efforts, it is a fair criticism to question his consistency (or lack thereof) on the offensive end.

The 4-time All NBA player has scored over 20 points just once in the last six games, which is certainly not what fans are hoping for from one of their franchise cornerstones.

While LeBron continues to amaze in his 21st season, it's not fair to expect that he will continue to carry the offensive load for the Lakers all year.

Both the Lakers and Davis himself have the hope that he can lead the Lakers to another championship before his career in LA is over. If he's going to do that, he simply cannot rely on James to "save the day" on offense every game. He needs to finally be the Batman to James's Robin.

The Lakers play again Sunday night against Houston. Let's see if this time it can be James praising Davis's offensive production.

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