"Go out there and make it happen" - Darvin Ham reveals he wanted Anthony Davis to dominate the Pelicans from the get-go

Anthony Davis started for the LA Lakers against his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, with deadly intent. He took charge of the game immediately after the tip-off by dropping eight straight unanswered points.

AD’s blistering start pushed the Lakers to a quick 14-0 lead after a little more than three minutes of play. Here’s what Darvin Ham had to say in the post-game interview about Davis’ sensational game:

(3:10 mark)

“He was huge, man. I told him, ‘Go out there and make it happen, set the tone.’ … Even when Bron [James} is in uniform and in the lineup, AD has to know he has to be the one to spearhead and get us started moving in the right direction on both sides of the ball.

“Once tip-off occurs, he’s got to know that he has to be applying pressure on both sides of the ball to the opposing team, night in and night out.”

Anthony Davis didn’t just open the floodgates of the LA Lakers’ onslaught. He also closed out the Pelicans’ desperate surge to get back into the game, particularly when their once 35-point lead dwindled to 14.

AD played 33 minutes and finished with 35 points and 17 rebounds. He often outmuscled the Pelicans’ frontline of Jonas Valanciunas and Herb Jones. Davis grabbed six offensive rebounds, which only added to his former team’s misery.

Since Davis forced his way out of New Orleans, he has been a big problem the Pelicans have had trouble solving. AD is 8-2 versus the Pelicans while averaging 27.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

After a subpar game against the New York Knicks on Sunday night where he was trolled by fans, Davis bounced back in a big way.

"Last game everyone did their job except myself and that was on me. I wanted to come out and make sure that I got back to myself, got back to a rhythm."

Unfortunately, the New Orleans Pelicans just happened to be standing in his way.

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Darvin Ham expects the LA Lakers to step up without Anthony Davis against the Houston Rockets tomorrow night

Anthony Davis still hasn't been cleared to play in back-to-back games since returning from a right foot stress injury. He sat out 20 games to recover from the said issue.

The LA Lakers are extremely cautious with his injury, so he will not be in uniform for tomorrow night versus the Houston Rockets.

Here's the Lakers head coach on what the Anthony Davis sidelining means for the team:

(1:38 mark)

"He's not gonna play. He hadn't been cleared. Even though he's playing pain-free, we made an organizaitonal decision, starting with our team doctors, to hold him out of a back-to-back."

"We have to monitor it [injury], stick to the plan as we always have done and just go out there with other guys and try to get the W."

The LA Lakers have sidelined Anthony Davis twice to monitor his load. They are 1-1 in those situations. Unless he is cleared to play in consecutive games, he will also have to sit out again in early April.

AD could be unavailable on Apr. 4 against the Utah Jazz or the following night against the LA Clippers.

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