"500 sound real good for us"- Anthony Davis reveals one Lakers player is using In-Season Tournament paycheck as motivation
There's no denying that the NBA In-Season Tournament has found success with the level of competition displayed in the games, which Anthony Davis alluded to as a format that's "gonna bring that juice" to matchups. Judging from the Los Angeles Lakers' 134-107 Tuesday win over the Memphis Grizzlies, that extra "juice" looks to have played a significant part in their victory.
Speaking after the game, the Lakers forward wanted to give some love to the newly integrated In-Season Tournament, acknowledging the motivation gained by a Lakers teammate from the $500,000 cash prize, as per Clutch Points' Michael Corvo.
"500 sounds real good for us," Davis said, "It's going to bring that juice ... I heard one of our players like, 'We beat Phoenix, that's one step closer to this 500! I've never had that before. So that's a little extra motivation.'"
Davis's Lakers teammate was excited after the team beat the Phoenix Suns last Friday with a score of 122-119. The team's come-from-behind victory was not all that his teammate was ecstatic about, but also because it meant that they were inching closer toward the cash prize.
In the team's recent victory against the Grizzlies, Anthony Davis sure looked motivated enough as he had an excellent double-doubling outing of 19 points (7-of-11 shooting) and 11 rebounds. To add to his impressive stat line, Davis chipped in six blocks and five assists.
Anthony Davis talks about the Lakers' excellent showing against the Memphis Grizzlies
The Los Angeles Lakers knew they needed to keep the ball rolling as they entered this Western Conference matchup off of a two-game winning streak in wins against the Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers did that against the Grizzlies, shooting 58.0%, including an electric 62.9% from 3-point range. The defense was also on point as they held the Grizzles to 36.8% shooting, including 37.7% from 3-point range.
After the game, Anthony Davis talked about how the team "played with a sense of urgency" to give them a three-game winning streak, according to Clutch Points' Michael Corvo.
"Just played with a sense of urgency tonight," Davis said, "Guys played with a lot of confidence tonight, playing with a lot of rhythm. Our passes were on target tonight, making the right reads. This is probably the first game where you can see we were having fun."
"Getting back to Lakers basketball -- when you're having fun," Davis added, "and the next guy trusts you to turn a good play into a great play or a good shot into a great shot."
The two-way performance from the Lakers was a treat to watch as Davis led the way with his commanding performance at both ends of the floor. The challenge remains with consistency for the whole team as they look to build momentum on their recent victories.