NBA News Roundup: LA Lakers coach wants Anthony Davis to shoot 5 threes a game; Danilo Gallinari out for two weeks

The LA Lakers’ Anthony Davis sank 4 of 6 three-pointers in their 109-103 win against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night in the NBA. That’s the most 3-point attempts that Davis has taken this season, but Lakers Coach Frank Vogel wants Davis to be more aggressive in taking it. According to the latest NBA news, Vogel wants Davis to average five shots from behind the arc.

.@AntDavis23 spoke postgame with @LakersReporter after dropping 34 PTS with 11 REB against the Spurs. pic.twitter.com/zeETmMjeZQ

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 2, 2021

NBA News Roundup: Frank Vogel urges Anthony Davis to shoot more threes

Anthony Davis has one of the purest shooting strokes in the league, and that includes not only the taller players but also players 6-foot-10 and shorter. Time and time again, Davis knocked down the three-pointer during crucial moments to give his team a chance to win in the late stages of the Spurs game.

✨ @AntDavis23 scored 22 second-half points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired to put the @Lakers up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals! #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/pXtJKbJcST

— NBA (@NBA) September 21, 2020

The LA Lakers forward recently shared via The Athletic what coach Frank Vogel’s game plan is moving forward.

“I’m very comfortable,” Davis said of his 3-point shot. “I work on it all the time with Mike (Penberthy), just constantly putting up reps. And when I’m in the game, just letting it fly and being comfortable, working on everything I do in drills, applying it to the game. Coach (Frank Vogel) wants me to shoot at least five, average five, a game this year. I had a lot of good looks. Sometimes I pass up for a better shot. But I just got to shoot it."

”Any time I can shoot a high volume, I usually shoot pretty well from the field. I can’t let missing one or two affect my thought process of shooting them. I just got to continue shooting them, knowing it will help the team and open the floor for guys like LeBron (James) and Dennis (Schroder).”

During the 2019-20 NBA season, Davis’ first with the LA Lakers, the Kentucky product shot the three-pointer an average of 3.5 times a game, but he only made 33 percent of those. This season, he’s only taking 3.0 attempts per contest but he’s making them with greater accuracy, a career-high 46.7 percent.

Whether Anthony Davis can sustain that rate throughout the NBA season, particularly if he takes more threes in a game as Vogel requested, remains to be seen. A player of Davis’ caliber becoming even more lethal from long range is going to be scary for the rest of the NBA.

NBA News Roundup: Danilo Gallinari sprains ankle vs Brooklyn Nets

In other NBA news, Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari injured his ankle during Wednesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. An MRI confirmed on Saturday morning that he had a right ankle sprain and will be out for at least two weeks.

Hawks say Danilo Gallinari will be out at least two weeks after an MRI confirmed a right ankle sprain: pic.twitter.com/yLAW7an24R

— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) January 3, 2021

Gallinari is averaging 9.0 points per game after two outings for the Hawks this NBA campaign. That’s a far cry from his 18.7 points-per-game average with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, but Gallinari is playing half the minutes in Atlanta.

He injured his ankle late in the first quarter of the Nets game as Gallinari and Kyrie Irving were going after a rebound. Irving’s knee managed to hit the back of Gallinari’s leg.

The Hawks’ veteran forward played only three minutes before leaving the game for good.