Anthony Davis deactivates Instagram as Lakers prepare for playoff run

Published by

Peter Dewey

March 17, 2023 2:06 pm

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis appears to be getting himself ready for a playoff run, as he deactivated his Instagram.

It looks like Davis is attempting to lock in on basketball as Los Angeles is in the thick of the playoff and play-in race in the Western Conference.

Entering Friday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers are the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, just one game behind the No. 8-seeded Mavs.

Davis has been terrific this season for the Lakers, and he’s currently trying to lead the Lakers will LeBron James out of the lineup due a foot injury.

The University of Kentucky product missed time this season with a foot injury of his own, but he’s played at a high level all season when he’s been healthy. Davis is averaging 26.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 56.1 percent from the field.

James has been known to go into what he calls “Zero dark thirty-23” mode, where he takes himself off of social media platforms in the postseason.

Davis may be following in his teammate’s footsteps with the Lakers likely facing a tough road to compete for an NBA title, especially if they end up in the league’s play-in tournament.

The last time the Lakers were in the play-in tournament, they lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the 2020-21 campaign.

Davis and company would love to avoid that result, and they still could get to the No. 6 seed in the West with a strong finish to this season. Los Angeles is just two games back of the Golden State Warriors, who have struggled on the road and are currently holding the No. 6 spot.

When the Lakers won the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season, Davis was terrific throughout the team’s postseason run, hitting an extremely clutch game-winning 3-pointer against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

If he can continue to play at or close to that level, the Lakers are going to be a dangerous team to face the rest of the 2022-23 campaign.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.