Lakers at Nets
Los Angeles star power forward Anthony Davis is back in form and looks for a second straight strong showing when the Lakers visit the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. Davis scored 28 points in Wednesday's 100-92 road victory over the New York Knicks after managing just nine points in Monday's 139-107 loss to the host Boston Celtics.
Davis missed five games with a gluteus maximus contusion after suffering a hard fall on Jan. 7 and he was pleased with the strong turnaround on Wednesday after he and the team struggled in the debacle against the Celtics. "Obviously, the one in Boston, we didn't come to play at all - no way, shape or form," Davis said in a postgame television interview after the win over the Knicks. "We try not to lose two in a row and we bounced back with a great win with a hungry team. We just want to make sure that we keep playing defensively and push the pace offensively. When we do those things, we're a tough team to beat." Brooklyn has dropped four straight games and 11 of its last 13 after falling 117-111 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. Guard Kyrie Irving, who recently returned from a 26-game absence due to a shoulder injury, is listed as probable after missing the Philadelphia game with hamstring tightness.
TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: TNT, Spectrum Sports Net, TSN 4/5, RDS
ABOUT THE LAKERS (35-9): Forward LeBron James scored 21 points against the Knicks to raise his career total to 33,599 as he closes in on third-place Kobe Bryant (33,643) on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel was more pleased with James' work on the defense end as the latter recorded a season-high five steals and was a key factor in why the Lakers held the Knicks to 44 second-half points. "LeBron in particular, not only five steals, but he had several other plays where he just busted up the rhythm of their offense with a deflection or a denial," Vogel told reporters afterward. "He gets a game ball on that side of the floor."
ABOUT THE NETS (18-24): Brooklyn has been sputtering badly and coach Kenny Atkinson is looking forward to having Irving (15 games played) and shooting guard Caris LeVert (17 games) healthy at the same time. "We've just got to get consistently healthy, get reps under our belt," Atkinson told reporters. "We have enough talent here, enough players where we're just right now going through a tough time with guys being in and out. Once we can get those ducks in a row and start knocking out some games where we've got consistent lineups and consistency in terms of our health, I think we'll get better. It's that simple." LeVert is averaging 12.8 points in eight games since returning from a thumb injury that sidelined him for nearly two months.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nets won both of last season's meetings after the Lakers won five of the previous six contests.
2. Los Angeles SG Danny Green is just 3-of-13 shooting over the past two games.
3. Brooklyn C DeAndre Jordan (dislocated finger) will likely miss his third straight game.