The Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of a decimated Charlotte Hornets team on Monday night, with Anthony Davis feasting on the Hornets’ shorthanded frontcourt. Davis was so dominant that it seemed like he barely had to break a single bead of sweat in dropping 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists to lead the way for the Lakers in their 124-118 win over the Hornets.
That was just the third triple-double of Davis’ career, (two of those have come this season), and the Hornets simply had no answer for him, with Nick Richards and PJ Washington unable to do much of anything to prevent the Lakers star from carving them up in historic fashion.
According to the official Lakers Twitter (X) account, Anthony Davis is the first player in franchise history to tally at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists on 75 percent shooting in a single game — besting even the likes of LeBron James and Magic Johnson, two of the greatest stat-sheet stuffers in league history.
For Davis to do this is no mean feat; for starters, for his career, the Lakers star is averaging 2.5 assists per game. Dishing the rock isn’t exactly Davis’ strong suit even though he contends that he grew up as a point guard. So for him to breach the 10-assist mark, which he’s only done twice for his career (his first career triple-double didn’t involve assists, but rather, blocks), is a rare phenomenon, especially when he’s not a lead ballhandler in the vein of James and Johnson.
Just to add even more insight into Anthony Davis’ stellar feat, the Lakers have had plenty of Hall of Famers to ply their trade for the franchise before him. The likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jerry West, among others, could have had a game like the one Davis had against the Hornets. But they don’t, which is remarkable.
The Lakers appear to be trending up, just in time for the trade deadline. It’s not quite clear yet what the Lakers will be doing to improve the roster. But it’s safe to say that they won’t be bringing back the same cast when they take on the Denver Nuggets in the aftermath of deadline day on February 8.
