Deandre Ayton shows respect to Anthony Davis before the Mavericks game
The Los Angeles Lakers want to go 4-0 in NBA Cup are playing to host at least one knockout stage game, and have one match left in group play against the Dallas Mavericks. It’s a big game for the Mavericks as well Anthony Davis is ready to return to the lineup from a calf injury. Davis’ primary defender will be Deandre Ayton, who is also returning to the Lakers lineup after a one-game absence due to injury.
After the Lakers game on Friday morning, Deandre Ayton talked about the challenges that come with guarding Anthony Davis, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“You don’t want to foul him. AD is a great player. It takes the whole team to guard him,” Ayton said. “You treat him like Giannis (Antetokounmpo), you treat him like (Nikola) Jokic, like every other superstar in this league where the whole team needs to be there in front of them. Try to throw two on him if anything, one man can’t really guard him.”
“Try to throw him twos as much as possible, try to get the ball out of his hands early, don’t let him get to his spots,” Ayton continued. “He’s going to face up and get to the middle (mid-range), try not to foul him. Watch him hard. He’s going to do his thing, but just do your best to look at him and get the ball out of his hands. I like to compete, the competition is fun, seeing him out there will bring another competitive type of spirit.”
Anthony Davis has been limited to just five games this season for the Mavericks due to injury. On the other hand, Ayton is who the Lakers traded for Davis and has his own starting center. He missed the team’s win against the LA Clippers on Tuesday, but stressed that the knee problem is not a long-term concern.
“It was just little bruises. Things I could play with,” Ayton said. “It’s not something that actually stops me from playing. It hurts, but it’s something that I can play through. . . and the shooting went pretty smoothly, I didn’t have any niggles or discomfort.”
2025-11-28 21:05:00
