Anthony Davis Stats Tonight: How did Lakers' star big man star fare vs Suns? (Oct. 17) | 2024 NBA preseason

With LeBron James absent, the LA Lakers took on the Phoenix Suns in Thursday’s preseason game, led by Anthony Davis, with D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Max Christie joining him in the starting lineup.

The Suns, meanwhile, deployed their expected regular-season starters: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic and Tyus Jones.

Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht exploded for 35 points, helping LA secure the 128-122 win in overtime.

The game began with a fast pace, as the Lakers edged out the Suns 35-30 in the first quarter. The Suns outscored LA by 10 in the second period for a 67-62 lead at halftime.

Anthony Davis was instrumental in the first half, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. He played extended minutes in the second half, scoring 18 more points.

Below are his stats:

Davis’ 35 points marked his highest output in this year’s preseason, surpassing his previous best of 24.

JJ Redick reveals plans for Anthony Davis this season

Lakers head coach JJ Redick shared that the team intends to fully utilize Anthony Davis on both offense and defense, positioning him for a standout season in 2024-25.

“It’s our job to empower him on both sides of the basketball to have a monster year. And I thought he had a monster year last year. But I think the way we want to play, he’s gonna be featured like he always is, but he’s also gonna be hopefully perpetually involved,” Redick said.

Last season, Davis averaged 24.7 ppg and a career-high 12.6 rpg, appearing in 76 games — a career-best.

Lakers insider Jovan Buha noted that Davis appeared more assertive during the preseason, particularly in their opener against the Golden State Warriors.

In that game, Davis logged 26 minutes, scoring 24 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, shooting 10-for-14 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free throw line. He was one of only three Lakers to finish with a positive plus-minus, recording a plus-3.

“I thought he was able to face up and make and-1's against guys, and, like, I just thought he looked really good and really assertive. And I thought he was really engaged,” Buha said.

“I thought AD looked incredible. I think, overall, he's looked pretty solid during the preseason. On one level, I did like seeing some of the isos and post-ups, particularly for him. He was scoring on almost all of them," he added.

Last season, Anthony Davis was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, marking his fifth selection to an all-defensive team in his 12-year career.