EL SEGUNDO — When the fourth quarter hits, it’s time for the biggest stars to hit the floor.
Right … right?
Anthony Davis was not having his best night Friday against the Toronto Raptors, managing just five shot attempts against their scheme designed to take him out of the game plan. The Lakers had trailed by as much as 12 in the third quarter, but they were scrapping their way back with a bench-driven lineup.
When the time came for Davis’ check-in by the 8-minute mark of the fourth, Dennis Schröder made an appeal to the coaching staff: The group, which included Wenyen Gabriel and Jarred Vanderbilt as the two forwards, had rolled all the way to a four-point lead. Coach Darvin Ham looked in Davis’ direction for his input. Davis said he was fine with letting the lineup continue to play.
In another minute-and-a-half, the Lakers led by nine, romping on their way to a 37-point fourth quarter and a win.
“It’s a good thing to see, man,” Davis said after a Saturday film session. “You sit back and, as I’m watching it, these guys are getting very comfortable. They were playing at a high level last night. And for me, seven shots, five shots, no shots, 20 shots – like, as long as we win, I’m fine, I’m happy.”
Much of the 8-3 Lakers’ record since the trade deadline can be attributed to Davis, who turned 30 on Saturday and has looked, since getting healthy, very much in his prime. In that stretch, he’s averaged a team-leading 24.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks, re-emerging as the two-way force he was on the 2020 title-winning Lakers. But beating Toronto, a fast-paced team with imposing, freakish athletes especially at forward signaled that the Lakers (33-34) now have other ways to win – which can be partially attributed to the burgeoning team chemistry of the new-look roster.
Davis pointed to the play of Dennis Schröder, who was the Lakers’ second-leading scorer when Russell was out, as an example. Coming off the bench on Friday,…
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