Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed made some waves on Monday by calling Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis a “big flopper.”
The two teams will face off Monday night in Philadelphia, giving Reed a chance to go to war against Davis. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham spoke about Reed’s comments ahead of the matchup and responded by wishing him the “best of luck” in guarding Davis.
Darvin Ham on Paul Reed calling Anthony Davis a “big flopper” this morning: “He’s got to go guard him, I guess. … Best of luck, Paul”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 27, 2023
Reed and his teammates will have their hands full trying to slow down Davis on Monday if the eight-time All-Star is engaged and aggressive.
Two games ago, Davis left some fans frustrated by taking just 10 shots and finishing with 10 points in a matchup the Lakers lost 104-101 to the Dallas Mavericks.
However, the veteran bounced back against the Cleveland Cavaliers in L.A.’s last game. Davis went 13-for-20 from the field in that one, finishing with 32 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks.
Reed is a bench piece for the Sixers and is averaging 13.4 minutes per game this season. He has had some solid performances in his role during the current campaign, including a recent showing against the Minnesota Timberwolves when he got 26 minutes of run and finished just shy of a double-double (10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks).
The Lakers have been playing quality basketball lately, but they will certainly be tested against the Sixers on the road. Philadelphia is 11-5 on the season, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference. The team is 1.5 games out of the top spot.
Davis is averaging 22.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.9 blocks per game this season for the Lakers. He has done an impressive job of staying on the floor, appearing in 16 of a possible 17 games to this point.
At 10-7 on the season, the Lakers are firmly in the postseason mix in the Western Conference but have plenty of room for growth ahead of them. L.A. is 7-2 over its last nine games and has a chance to keep things rolling with a win over Philly.
The Reed-Davis storyline is suddenly hard to ignore, and folks will certainly be keeping an eye on it to see how it factors into Monday night’s game.
