Davis and James are Top Notch Distinctive Lakers Duo

By Nick Hamilton

Sports Reporter

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the premiere teams in the NBA and the main reason for their early season success is the play of their dynamic duo Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Davis and James have ingratiated themselves into the championship mentality of the Laker culture.

These two players have been virtually unstoppable and Davis has found himself in some elite Laker company after he scored 50 points last Sunday at the Staples Center in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. That was the fourth time in his career that he has scored 50 points more and he is only the third player this decade to reach that milestone as a Laker. The other two players are James and Kobe Bryant.

The dynamic duo was responsible for 82 points against the Timberwolves. Davis and James are the first pair of Lakers to combine 70 plus points in consecutive games since Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal accomplished it in March 2003.

For a big man Davis has a soft touch around the basket. He is also a good three point shooter who can rebound and block shots. James has the ability to shoot from anywhere on the court, pass the ball like Magic Johnson and he can also break an opponent's spirit with earth shaking dunks. Defensively both players are having a tremendous impact on the game. If this duo keeps playing at an elite level they will go down NBA history as one of the top duos to ever play the game of basketball.

With the Western Conference being very competitive this season Davis and James have strong competition. This season has turned into a real "NBA Jam" 2019 and just like the classic video game the Western Conference has outstanding players.

Currently James is averaging 25.9 points per game and 19 rebounds per game. Those are Most Valuable Player numbers. Davis is also having an MVP season averaging 27.7 points per game and eight rebounds per game. Both players could are also in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. The last player to win both awards in the same year was Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets during the 1993-94 season.

Other outstanding duos in the West are Paul George and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers, Russell Westbrook and James Harden of the Houston Rockets, CJ McCollum and Damien Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers and Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis of the Dallas Mavericks. Currently none of these players are as success as Davis and James.

At press time the Lakers had the best record in the NBA at 21-3. They are currently on a two week road trip that started last Wednesday against Orlando. They play Miami on Friday, Atlanta on Sunday, Indiana on Tuesday, and Milwaukee on Thursday, December 19. They return home on Sunday, December 22, to face Denver.

The highlight game of the road trip will be the contest against the Milwaukee Bucks At press time the Bucks had the second best record in the league at 20-3 and there are led by last year's MVP player Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As long as the Lakers keep developing this incredible chemistry that creates a ripple effect throughout the rest of the team they will be a hard team to beat. "For me and AD (Anthony Davis) it starts with us," said James last Sunday. "If we're on the same page, it makes it a lot easier on the rest of the ball club both on and off the floor. We're just trying to lead by example and lead by our play and see where that takes us."

If the Davis and James led Lakers continue to play like a team on a mission then we may witness the best Lakers duo ever.

 

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