Austin Reaves Expresses Immense Admiration for Anthony Davis for 'Gutting it Out' in Lakers' Victory

The Los Angeles Lakers' victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night was nothing short of remarkable. Despite the absence of LeBron James and a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Lakers refused to give up. In an impressive double-overtime comeback, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell delivered outstanding performances.

Despite experiencing discomfort in his knee, Davis displayed resilience and determination, making crucial contributions on both ends of the court when it mattered most. His ability to power through the pain impressed his teammate Austin Reaves, who expressed deep admiration for Davis during the post-game press conference.

The statistics put up by the players were truly extraordinary. Anthony Davis, the All-Star center, had an exceptional night, recording an impressive 34 points, 23 rebounds, and four blocks in a grueling 52 minutes of play. Austin Reaves, on the other hand, showcased his clutch shooting skills, hitting crucial three-pointers in regulation and overtime. Alongside his scoring prowess, Reaves achieved his second career triple-double, accumulating 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. D'Angelo Russell also contributed significantly with 29 points and 12 assists to round out an outstanding performance by the Lakers' trio.

During their furious rally in regulation, Davis knocked down two huge three-pointers, including one over Giannis Antetokounmpo with 2:16 to go to trim the lead to five. Los Angeles ended regulation on a 9-0 run, totally shutting down the Bucks in the last three minutes to force overtime.

In the first extra session, Davis made a couple of clutch stops down the stretch, including a game-saving swat on a potential Damian Lillard game-winning floater to send the game into double-OT.

ANTHONY DAVIS  pic.twitter.com/EezefjK7NP

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 27, 2024

In the crucial final minute of the second overtime, Anthony Davis showcased his defensive prowess by making two crucial stops on Giannis Antetokounmpo. He successfully challenged Antetokounmpo's layup attempt, causing it to miss the rim entirely, and later forced him into a difficult fadeaway shot that hit the front of the rim.

Following a clutch three-pointer from Austin Reaves that broke the tie at 121-all, Davis once again made his presence felt defensively. He forced Damian Lillard to pass out of a three-point shot attempt and then used his length to tightly contest Lillard's subsequent three-point attempt. To cap off his exceptional performance on both ends of the court, Davis calmly converted two game-sealing free throws with just 1.1 seconds remaining, securing the Lakers' remarkable come-from-behind victory of 128-124.

Despite the win, the Lakers still face a challenging path to secure a playoff berth in the fiercely competitive Western Conference. With LeBron James still recovering from an ankle injury, Davis will likely need to continue persevering through his knee issues if the Lakers hope to secure a spot in the playoffs, as they currently find themselves in the mix for the play-in tournament and three games behind the No. 6 seed Dallas Mavericks with 10 games remaining in the regular season.