SAN FRANCISCO — Anthony Davis sat next to LeBron James and watched James praise him.
“The Lakers franchise has always had dominant big men, dominant guys, who have been a force on the fringe throughout the years, in the course of their existence,” James said Tuesday night, following a dominant performance by Davis in the Lakers’ Game 1 win in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Golden State Warriors. “That’s why their sweaters hang in the rafters. AD will be there when he’s done playing.
James continued for another minute in the same vein. When he finished, Davis patted him on the back.
“I’ll take up my watch next week,” James said, smiling at his joke about a quid pro quo. “Or a car.”
While this series has brought nostalgia for the years when James and Warriors guard Stephen Curry faced each other every June for the NBA championship, it could hinge on Davis, who has the potential to be the best player in it. He hasn’t always been, as he was prone to injuries and inconsistent play. But on Tuesday night, Davis showed what his dominance can mean for the Lakers as he pushed them to a 117-112 victory over the defending champion Warriors, taking away home field advantage.
Curry finished with 27 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, while two other Golden State guards, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, also topped 20 points.
Davis finished the game with 30 points, 23 rebounds and 4 blocks. With at least 30 points and 20 rebounds, Davis joined the elite company in Lakers playoff history: Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal. The most drastic statistical difference between the teams was a direct result of Davis’ play: the Lakers outscored the Warriors within the paint 54–28.
“He’s everything to us,” said Lakers guard Dennis Schröder. “Defensively, offensively, a big part for this organization. I mean, wasn’t an All-Star, wasn’t defensive player of the year. He takes it seriously, does everything for us and he is the anchor.”
It made sense for James and Curry to be the story center of this series. They are two of the best to ever play in the NBA, with each having won four championships. They played each year in the finals from 2015 to 2018, and have each won a championship since then: James in 2020 and Curry last season.
This is the first time since 2018 that the two have faced each other in the playoffs, and there were plenty of moments on Tuesday night where they led the way.
Before the game, the two laughed at each other at the judges’ table. Midway through the second quarter, as Davis shot free throws, James wandered down the sideline with Curry, who was heading for the Golden State bench. James stayed by Curry’s side until he sat down, and even then continued to talk to him.
“He was just joking about guarding me all the way until I got to the bank,” said Curry.
But at halftime, James was with Davis. They walked down the field together, shoulder to shoulder, step by step.
The scene was reminiscent of their first year together, the 2019-20 Championship season, when Davis and James went almost nowhere without each other, waiting after each game for them to finish their on-field interviews.
The Lakers gave up a lot to acquire Davis the summer before that season, including players who would become critical pieces for other franchises. But Davis immediately seemed to reward the Lakers. He was named to the All-NBA and All-Defensive first teams. He was a candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. He fit perfectly into James’ team.
Part of what made that partnership work so seamlessly was the way their personalities blended together. Davis never needed to be the center of attention. James didn’t mind, in fact thrived on it.
“We’re not jealous of each other,” James said during the 2020 NBA Finals.
That dynamic came into play Tuesday night when James and Curry were the center of attention.
Davis may not seek attention, but on the field he needs it, especially when he plays like he did in Game 1.
“We know he’s capable of that,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It’s great. We needed every bit of all those points and rebounds and blocked shots, assists too.”
While Davis excelled at defending within the paint, he made his presence felt all over the field. Late in the game, he thwarted the Warriors shortly after Curry tied the game with a heartbreaking three-pointer with 1 minute and 38 seconds remaining, capping a 14–0 run.
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell scored to get the lead back for the Lakers. Moments later, Curry tried again, this time driving toward the basket, but his shot was blocked by Davis. With 39.3 seconds left and the Lakers leading by 3, Davis grabbed a rebound from a miss by Poole.
Davis was also offensively aggressive and seemed tireless despite playing for 43 minutes and 50 seconds, more than any other player. He played the entire second half.
Ham credited the Lakers’ loading management during the regular season to Davis’s ability to play big minutes in the playoffs.
Davis’s critics have questioned his durability and consistency, and for good reason. He has missed games in every year of his career due to injury, appearing in only 56 games this season.
“I don’t care,” he said. “I don’t care what nobody thinks. Just the guys in the locker room, coaching staff, just opinions I care about. Other than that, I’m just going to play basketball and do what I can to help the team win.”
Davis and James were two of the last remaining players on court Tuesday night, Davis did a postgame interview with TNT and James spoke to the Lakers’ regional broadcast channel. Davis briefly interrupted James’ interview to do a personal handshake before leaving court.
“It’s going to be a different game,” Davis said on Thursday when asked about Game 2. “They’re going to make adjustments; we are going to make adjustments.” He added: “I remain aggressive.”