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Editor’s note: As we wait for real NBA basketball to return, we’re going to simulate the rest of the games that the Los Angeles Lakers have on their schedule on NBA 2K20. We had planned on doing a live stream of Monday’s game, but due to technical difficulties, we weren’t able to. We’ll try again on Wednesday and see what happens!
When the Los Angeles Lakers last went up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 18, Anthony Davis had arguably his best game of the season, tallying 50 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and a block. While Davis didn’t get all the way to 50 when the Lakers, he came pretty close, and made up for it in other areas.
In the Lakers’ commanding 129-90 win over the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Monday, Davis racked up 44 points and 20 rebounds in 33 minutes. This marks Davis’ second time recording at least 40 points in 20 rebounds in less than 35 minutes, making him the first person in NBA history to accomplish that feat twice. Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo have each done it once.
The Lakers knew the type of player they were getting in Davis when they traded for him last summer, but I don’t think anyone could have expected the type of video game numbers he’s put up this season — the Timberwolves clearly didn’t.
As if Davis wasn’t enough for the Timberwolves to deal with, LeBron James ended the night with 29 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds. Evan Turner and James Johnson did the best he could, but James was getting to whatever shot he wanted from inside the 3-point line, going 10-12 on his 2-point attempts.
D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns may be stars on the rise, but they’re not quite on James and Davis’ level yet.
Outside of James and Davis, JaVale McGee looked strong in his first game back in the starting lineup in two games. McGee contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Meanwhile, Dion Waiters took a huge step back on Monday, scoring 13 points on 5-16 shooting from the field. Yes, he was technically the third-highest scorer on the team, but to say he was “good” would be inaccurate. Also, he started again while Avery Bradley and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope watched the entirety of the game from the bench — what gives, virtual Vogel?
Anyway, the Lakers will be back at it on Wednesday to take on the Indiana Pacers, one of the few teams they haven’t beaten this season. We’ll see you then.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.