Lakers’ Anthony Davis On Spencer Dinwiddie’s 26-Point Game vs. Pacers: ‘We Need Him To Play Like That The Rest Of The Season’

Starting in place of a sick D’Angelo Russell, Dinwiddie had his best game as a Laker, finishing with 26 points and five assists while shooting 8-of-11 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. 

“How he played tonight, we need him to play like that the rest of the season,” Davis said. “Instant offense that he can score when he wants. He’s a big guard. He can defend. He plays like that, add DLo back to the mix, other guys we’re getting healthy, we are going to be a tough team to beat. … But we are going to need him to be the Spencer he was tonight.”

The Lakers defeated the Pacers by a final score of 150-145 to improve to 39-32 on the season. Los Angeles has won three games in a row. 

The Brooklyn Nets traded Dinwiddie to the Toronto Raptors on February 8. The Raptors waived Dinwiddie, who signed with the Lakers after clearing NBA waivers. 

In 17 games with the Lakers, Dinwiddie is averaging 6.2 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He has a stellar plus-minus of +73.

The Lakers are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings. Their next six games are on the road. 

“It’s been flip-flopping so much over the last few weeks, I kind of stopped looking at it,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said of the West standings. “Just kind of just like focusing on each game at a time. So, obviously, we know where we are right now. Just continue trying to play some good basketball. That’s a very testy road trip for us. … But we’re looking forward to it.”

The Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals last year. It will be interesting to see if LAL even qualifies for the 2024 playoffs.