On February 13, Beijing time, the Lakers lost to the Warriors by two points. In this game, Davis played 35 minutes and had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks on 5-of-13. After the game, according to statistically from statistic statistic, Lakers forward Anthony Davis made a total of 3 shots in the fourth quarter of the last two games, only 1 of 3 shots.
Talking about the reasons for Davis's sluggish scoring in the final quarters of these two games is actually quite simple. On the one hand, in the last two games, Davis played 39 minutes, while Davis played the first quarter of today's game, and his physical strength in the fourth quarter is bound to be affected. On the other hand, Davis's on-court energy in recent games has mainly focused on the defensive end, and he has averaged 4 blocks in the last two games, which can be said to have supported the Lakers' interior line.
So far this season, Vogel has always insisted on letting Davis play the fifth position of the team, which is a great drain on Davis's physical strength and energy. You know, Davis has also been injured for a while this season, and now that Davis has returned from injury for many days, he is still not in the best form. If Vogel wants to relieve Davis of offensive and defensive pressure, he must use other interior players, such as Howard.
Before the match, Howard was activated, and the fan media speculated that Vogel would give Howard playing time, but howard still did not get the opportunity to play. Returning to the Lakers' game against the Trail Blazers, Davis spoke directly to Nurkizzi, who is clearly a lap bigger than Davis, which means Davis will have a heavier defensive task. In this game against the Warriors, Davis started against Rooney, and is a big center, it can be said that Davis's consumption in these two games is very huge, but if Vogel abandons Howard and saves davis physical strength, will the result of the game be different?
Some fans will worry about the team's defensive problems when Howard is on the floor, but to be honest, this season's Lakers defense is not good, Howard can help the team to protect the frame, although the defense may be caught by the opponent, but his attack on the inside is still one of the team's responses, the worst case is just a pure offense between the two sides. Even if Howard fails to have the desired effect, Howard can be there to help Davis drain the physical strength of the opposing big center. Reluctantly, Vogel still insisted on abandoning Howard, and the reason for this is unknown.