The Los Angeles Lakers were trounced by the Oklahoma City Thunder, 105-86, on Wednesday night.
One of the reasons why was because superstar big man Anthony Davis had an unusually unproductive night on the court. He recorded just nine points, eight rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes of playing time.
According to Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, that was all part of the plan.
Frank Vogel says the game plan was to go with #Lakers players other than Anthony Davis tonight.
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) August 6, 2020
While the large defeat may be somewhat troubling for Lakers fans as the postseason fast approaches, it is important to remember that the Lakers have already sealed up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
For that reason, it is absolutely the right call to monitor Davis’ and fellow superstar LeBron James’ usage as much as possible so that they are perfectly fresh for the onset of the playoffs.
James was the Lakers’ top point scorer on the evening. The four-time MVP scored 19 points in 30 minutes of play.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get much help. The only other Lakers to finish with double-digit point totals in the game were Kyle Kuzma, who scored 10 points and Dion Waiters, who scored 14.
The Lakers will barely have any time to look back on today’s loss. They’re facing off against the Houston Rockets on Thursday.
