KEY POINTS

  • Anthony Davis hits game-winner as Lakers take 2-0 lead against Nuggets in the WCF
  • Davis admits the last play was designed for LeBron James
  • Davis pays tribute to Kobe Bryant after winning the game

Anthony Davis came through the clutch and delivered the dagger to win Game 2 for the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, giving the team a commanding 2-0 lead against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

With 2.1 seconds left, Davis found himself wide open from the left wing before launching the game-winner, as if it was perfectly designed for him. However, the superstar big man revealed that Frank Vogel wanted to run the last play for LeBron James.

"We ran the play (that was supposed to be) for Bron. (But) I looked at (Rajon) Rondo the whole time,” Davis said after securing the 105-103 victory.

“People talk about never being in this moment, pressure, am I ready for it? I want to take those shots. It’s part of the legacy. I want those shots. I want the big-time plays.”

Heading into the final sequence, Vogel made the adjustment of fielding in Rondo after their first attempt was disrupted by the pesky Nuggets defense. The veteran point guard then did a good inbound bounce pass from the baseline, finding Davis, who then squared up and drained the triple at the buzzer.

It was the Lakers’ confidence in him that motivated Davis to take it upon himself in clutch time. And with the game on the line, the seven-time All-Star just served what could be one of the most memorable tributes for the late Kobe Bryant

“This is what they brought me here for, to make big-time plays,” the 27-year-old added. “We were in the Mamba jerseys. You never want to lose in these jerseys.”

With Davis channeling his inner Mamba Mentality to lead the Lakers in withstanding Denver’s second-half surge, Vogel was left in awe as he remembers the Los Angeles icon.

"We want to embody what Kobe Bryant stood for and honor his memory," Vogel said, via CBS Sports. "Obviously there are certain games where we're gonna feel it a little more than others when we have that uniform on, I think we feel it more than others. That's a shot Kobe Bryant would hit.

“So to me, AD coming off, flying through the wing like that, catch-and-shoot with the game on the line in the biggest moment of our season, nothing but net, that's a Mamba shot."

The Lakers will have the chance to move closer to a return to the NBA Finals in Game 3 set for Tuesday.

Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three point basket to win the game over Denver Nuggets in Game Two of the Western Conference Finals during the 2020 NBA Playoffs
Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three point basket to win the game over Denver Nuggets in Game Two of the Western Conference Finals during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 20, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Getty Images