Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis expressed confidence in his team after their 116-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. The Lakers have won nine out of their last 10 matches and they are peaking at the right moment, with the regular season coming towards its fag end and playoffs on the cards.
With this win, the Lakers moved to the eighth place in the Western Conference standings and they will look to continue the good show.
“We’re very confident in our ballclub,” Anthony Davis said after putting up 22 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals against the Cavs. “We laugh about, like, ‘Oh, winning nine out of 10,’ and we haven’t went anywhere [in the standings]. So, it’s how good the West is. But we’re confident, very confident in our ballclub and any time we step on the floor.”
Competition is getting intense in the West as two games separate the No. 6 Phoenix Suns from the No. 9 Sacramento Kings. The Lakers will aim to finish eight or below in the West to give themselves two chances to earn a postseason spot.
Davis attributed the team’s success to their camaraderie on the court.
“I think the biggest difference is just that we’re just having fun,” Davis said of L.A.’s recent upswing. “We’re holding each other accountable. If somebody messes up we’re yelling, screaming at him. But nobody is taking it personal. Because we all know what we’re here for, to try to win. So we’re having fun, we’re having a great time out there playing basketball, and we’re staying together.”
The Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham said it is imperative for his team to keep up the winning impetus and keep playing hard at the top level.
“Just take care of us, that’s the biggest thing,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said when asked for the key to finish out strong down the stretch. “Everything else will take care of itself. We’ll fall exactly in the spot we’re supposed to fall. But the key is for us to be playing at a high level on both sides of the ball. We saw that on the defensive end tonight.”
The Lakers will next take on the no.1 team in the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves, on Sunday.
