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Anthony Davis will shoulder more of the load on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. His fellow LA Lakers star, LeBron James, will sit out with an ankle injury and to get rest. Davis will have to take over as the main force to keep the Lakers in this one on the road. AD will need to step up on the defensive end as well to try to slow down the monstrous Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It should be an exciting matchup for the Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Davis has had success against Antetokounmpo in the past. He had 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Lakers' 123-122 win over the Bucks earlier this month. James did not play in that game.
James has missed nine games this season, with the Lakers going 5-4. Davis played in eight of those games. In the only game in which both Davis and James sat, the Lakers pulled off a stunning win in Boston.
In the eight games without James, Davis has averaged 28.1 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. He dropped 37 points in two of those games. The Lakers are 4-4 in that selection of games.
Outside of this season, Anthony Davis has had to play without James often since moving to LA. In four seasons in Southern California, Davis has suited up without James in 58 games.
Davis averaged 25.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 2.8 apg in games without James. That's slightly above his career averages of 24.1 ppg and 10.6 rpg.
Anthony Davis & Lakers chances to upset Bucks
LA will be heavy road underdogs without LeBron James. The Lakers are -9.5 point dogs on Tuesday. Milwaukee has won two in a row and retaken second place in the East.
Milwaukee has defended its home court well this season, going 29-7. Milwaukee is 6-4 in its last 10 games.
The Lakers beat the Bucks without James earlier this month, which may bode well for their chances of an upset.
In the 123-122 win in LA on March 8, D’Angelo Russell led the way. The guard had 44 points, hitting 9 of 12 from 3-point range. LA may need another hot shooting night from Russell to spring the upset.
Anthony Davis, of course, will have to step up as well. He will be tasked with holding down Giannis Antetokounmpo on the defensive end. He will try to improve upon his 22-point, 13-rebound performance in his last outing against Milwaukee.
The Lakers will also be without Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent. Christian Wood also remains out after knee surgery.
Guess the Lakers players!
