Patrick Beverley says he’d take Domantas Sabonis over Anthony Davis for a single game

Patrick Beverley said he would choose Domantas Sabonis over Anthony Davis if he had one game to win but prefers the Los Angeles Lakers star over the Sacramento Kings standout for a seven-game series.

“So I’ve been seein’ a comparison with A.D. and Sabonis,” Beverley said. “And I was faced with a question: Who would I rather take? Anthony Davis or Sabonis?

Beverley was asked who he’d take for one game after saying he’d take Davis for a seven-game series.

“Sabonis,” he replied. “Is that the perfect way to answer it? … That’s my truth though.”

Davis and Sabonis have been mentioned frequently alongside one another recently due to the latter’s 10-0 record against the former. All 10 of those games have come during the regular season.

Beverley’s observations are interesting because Davis has shown he is capable of monumental single-game performances in the playoffs while also sometimes failing to string them together successfully. Sabonis also has proven to be perhaps more durable and consistent in his NBA career lately, which could make him the more attractive choice for a longer series.

For example, over the course of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Davis had games of 31 points and 17 rebounds, 31 points and 19 rebounds, 30 points and 23 rebounds, 17 points and 20 rebounds, 40 points and 10 rebounds as well as 28 points and 18 rebounds. He helped the Lakers reach the 2023 Western Conference Finals, where they were swept by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

By comparison, Sabonis has played in just four playoff series over his eight NBA seasons. He has never had a playoff game of more than 24 points nor one of more than 16 rebounds.

Sabonis has played in 20 playoff games total in his NBA career and never won a series. Davis played in 21 playoff games just in 2020 alone, when he helped the Lakers win the NBA championship.

So far this regular season, Davis is averaging 24.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 blocks per game in 63 appearances. Sabonis is averaging 20.1 points, 13.6 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 0.6 blocks per game in 65 contests.

Beverley, who played in one season for the Lakers, is currently with the Milwaukee Bucks, so he won’t have to face Davis or Sabonis in a series until the 2024 NBA Finals, if any of their teams manage to get that far.

Despite another strong season from Davis, the Lakers look to be bound for the play-in round for a second consecutive year. They are in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 36-31 record, three games behind the sixth-place Kings after two head-to-head losses against them this month.

They have a key matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday and will need continued excellence from Davis if they hope to climb the standings in the final stretch of the campaign.