LOS ANGELES — After scoring at least 35 points in his second consecutive game to open the season, leading the Lakers to a 123-116 win over the Phoenix Suns and a 2-0 record, Anthony Davis was asked if he could name the two other Lakers greats to match his scorching start.
It took him six errant guesses — Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, James Worthy and LeBron James — before he got one right. «Jerry West?» Davis asked, correctly naming the Hall of Famer who opened the 1969-70 season with 39 points in his first game and 42 in his second.
James, standing at his locker next to Davis, helped out the big man with an assist on identifying the other. «Elgin,» James said. «Elgin Baylor,» Davis continued, mentioning the forward who started the 1962-63 season with 71 points in his first two games, which matches Davis' total.
It has been an eye-opening launch for Davis, who at age 31, and in his 13th NBA season and sixth with the Lakers, finally appears positioned to take the torch as the team's best player. «It's very important that he's the main focal point for us every single night,» James, 39, said after finishing with 21 points and eight assists. «We know what he's going to do defensively, but offensively we have to find him in multiple places on the floor throughout the whole game.