On Tuesday night, Anthony Davs only needed three quarters to etch his name in the NBA’s record books.
In a 120-91 domination of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers forward went off for 40 points, 20 rebounds and two blocks in just 32 minutes.
Davis, who was questionable to play coming into the game because of a sore shoulder, hit 26-of-27 free throws in the contest.
Anthony Davis through three quarters:
40 PTS
20 REB
26-27 FT
2 BLKDeserved this standing ovation 🗣 pic.twitter.com/29vlUenwvx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 30, 2019
With that incredible state line, Davis became the second player in NBA history to record at least 40 points, 20 boards and 25 made free throws in a game. The only other time it happened was when Wilt Chamberlain hit 32 free throws and ripped down 25 boards during his 100-point game in 1962.
Excluding the free throws, Davis is the sixth player in Lakers history to put up 40 points and grab 20 rebounds. The others: Elgin Baylor (did it 34 times), Chamberlain (5), George Mikan (4), Shaquille O’Neal (2) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2).
Anthony Davis is the only player in the last 20 seasons to put up 40-20 in three quarters 😳 pic.twitter.com/VNspxE9sjP
— ESPN (@espn) October 30, 2019
“It’s an honor. Great company,” Davis said. “To be here part of this franchise and do something special like that and be on that list with those legends, means a lot to me. But what’s more important, I’m happy that we got the win. It was a grind in that first half and my teammates trusted me and told me to get going. That’s what I tried to do.”
Image what Davis could have done if he actually got off the bench in the fourth quarter.
With Davis and LeBron James leading the way, the Lakers are 3-1 for their best start to a season since the 2010-11 season.
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