With one month remaining in the regular season, the Lakers are looking to ride a wave of momentum into the playoffs. To do so, they'll need the best version of Anthony Davis.
Davis put that best version of himself on full display Sunday as he led Los Angeles to a 120-109 win over a Minnesota team that was without its starting frontcourt of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. With the shorthanded Timberwolves in town for a primetime matchup, Davis turned in a historic stat line to lead the Lakers to their third victory in four games.
With 16 regular-season games left, the Lakers sit two games back of the West's sixth seed — an important distinction, as the top six teams in each conference are guaranteed a playoff spot without having to participate in the Play-In Tournament.
"Effort, knowing the importance of the game," Davis said of the key to his dominance against Minnesota. "They were missing key parts of their team, but they still have guys that can make plays and win a ball game. … We’re trying to close the gap in the standings."
Just how dominant was Davis against the Wolves? Here's a rundown of his historic performance.
MORE: Where Lakers fall in standings, bracket for 2024 NBA Playoffs
Anthony Davis stats vs. Timberwolves
Despite battling a shoulder injury, Davis took advantage of Minnesota's thin frontcourt to finish with 27 points, 25 rebounds, a career-high seven steals, five assists and three blocks in 39 minutes of action.
With his performance, Davis became the first player in NBA history to record 25-plus points, 25-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and five-plus steals in a single game.
Anthony Davis with a SPECIAL performance tonight in LA 👏
— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2024
🔥 27 PTS
🔥 25 REB
🔥 7 STL
🔥 5 AST
🔥 3 BLK
The first player ever with 25+ PTS, 25+ REB and 5+ STL in a game. pic.twitter.com/IXx1RhEWWJ
In addition to his place in NBA history, Davis is the first Laker to pull down 25 rebounds since Dwight Howard turned in a 26-rebound performance on Jan. 6, 2013.
Since the year 2000, only Davis, Howard, Andrew Bynum and Shaquille O'Neal have turned in games of 25-plus rebounds in the purple and gold. Davis and O'Neal are the only two to also score at least 25 points in the same game.
Davis' performance on Sunday is the latest reminder that he steps up when his team needs him the most. Just 11 days prior, he finished with 40 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks to help LA avoid a letdown to a lowly Wizards team on the second end of a back-to-back.
And of course, there's Davis' 41 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in LA's In-Season Tournament Championship win over Indiana that technically doesn't count.
With LeBron James playing at an All-NBA level, the guard duo of Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell knocking down shots and the Lakers getting healthy at the right time, the dominant version of Davis is the piece that makes this team a matchup nightmare for just about every postseason team.
NBA record for most rebounds in a single game
Davis' 25-rebound performance is impressive, but it isn't his career high for a single game. That came in January 2019, when he finished with 26 rebounds for the Pelicans.
Jusuf Nurkic posted the most rebounds in a game this season with 31 in the Suns' 118-110 loss to the Thunder on March 3. And neither Nurkic nor Davis are close to the all-time NBA record of 55 rebounds, set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1960.
