Anthony Davis scores 37 as Lakers snap 5-game losing streak vs. Nets

LOS ANGELES — His first season in Los Angeles was a dream, played out all the way to a championship at the end. Since those salad days, Anthony Davis has seen his reputation – even among his home fans – curdle with the disappointment of injury and defeat.

But Davis can still put a team on his back now and then. And on Sunday, needing a win in the worst way, the Lakers needed the big man to carry them.

Davis took the lead on offense against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, scoring a game-high 37 points in a 116-103 win. It snapped a five-game losing streak, pulling the oft-luckless Lakers (3-10) a little further from rock bottom in the NBA standings despite missing LeBron James.

In the losing streak, Davis has taken criticism for disappearing from the offense, especially in the second half of games. But the 29-year-old played as aggressively as he has all year on offense to leave no doubt. It was his highest scoring game since May 5, 2021 when he scored 42 points against Phoenix – and a home crowd hungry for wins was grateful for the throwback performance.

“Just trying to dominate. Be dominant,” he said. “Knowing that we had to get this win, knowing that a lot of guys – especially with Bron out – a lot of guys lean on me to try to get the job done.”

Lonnie Walker IV played a more assertive second scorer, notching 25 points (including four 3-pointers), while Russell Westbrook took on the primary playmaker role with 12 assists despite needing 15 shots to score his 14 points.

Perhaps most critically, the Nets – without Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons and Seth Curry – left the door open for the Lakers to break through with an ugly shooting night. They were just 7 for 27 from deep, bested by the Lakers’ 11 for 27 mark. Kevin Durant wound up with 31 points, but had a hard time getting his shots against the Lakers’ ball-denial defense.

The Lakers started Patrick Beverley against Durant, despite the guard giving up 10 inches on one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers. But Beverley relished the assignment, nipping at Durant’s heels at every turn, denying him entry passes and closing out every patching of breathing room. Beverley ended the game with five fouls, but Troy Brown Jr. and Davis helped guard Durant in other key sequences.

Ham was on the Milwaukee sideline in 2021, when Durant’s Nets gave the eventual champion Bucks a run for their money in Game 7, scoring 48 points and nearly ending them in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He said he “almost panicked” when he saw him back in the game to shoot a technical free throw, feeling a wave of flashbacks.

“No one man is going to shut down Kevin Durant,” he said. “You just got to try to irritate him and make it as uncomfortable as possible.”

Davis is no stranger to criticism that he can disappear at key moments. But against the Nets, the big man seemed determined to take no prisoners. The entire night, he took only two of his 25 shots outside the paint.

Eschewing the “take what the defense gives me” philosophy, Davis played battering ram: He fought his way to the rim through double-teams, bullying through Nic Claxton and his former teammate Markieff Morris. By halftime, he had already notched a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double.

But that wasn’t enough for Davis, who tried to push the Lakers past their run of third-quarter struggles single-handedly. He had 15 points on 7 for 10 shooting in that frame alone, narrowly besting Durant’s 13 points in the third quarter.

“This is the AD that you know what to expect every single game,” Walker said. “He’s one of few players that you have no choice but to double. And if you don’t double, you’re gonna have a long game against us.

But that wasn’t enough for the Lakers to avoid a letdown in their worst period: They had a game-best 16 point lead off a Walker 3-pointer with four minutes to go. Including nine points from Durant, the Nets closed off the period with a 16-3 run, summoning old fears and foibles back to the forefront for the shaky late-game Lakers.

Westbrook vs. Durant has been a saucy match-up since 2016, when Durant left Oklahoma City and his teammate behind for Golden State. The two former MVPs had a few highlights to stir up the crowd, including a first-quarter block from behind by Westbrook that sent Durant sprawling to the floor.

Durant eventually got the better of Westbrook at the rim with a block – but Westbrook took the edge by improving to a 6-5 record when the two meet head-to-head.

The Lakers get four days between games, hopeful that they can leave their ugly start behind and finally get healthy. James, among others, may be on the court when they host Detroit on Friday.

“That’s the plan,” Davis said. “It gives a chance for guys to kind of get away from the game for a couple days and reset and come back with a mentality that we got to run off some in a row.”