'Leader' Davis discusses injury battle on landmark Lakers night

Los Angeles, October 30: Anthony Davis was determined to lead the Los Angeles Lakers against the Memphis Grizzlies despite a shoulder injury – and did so to spectacular effect.

Superstar signing Davis revealed after the 120-91 victory that he had suffered a knock when missing a dunk in a recent game, and the ailment threatened to keep him out in the first half on Tuesday.

However, the 26-year-old returned to produce a devastating display, recording 40 points and 20 rebounds to brush aside the Grizzlies.

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"I'm here to be a leader of the team and it's tough for me to do that from the sideline," he explained to reporters.

Davis became the first Laker to have a 40-20 game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2003 and the sixth in total.

Also joining George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Davis said: "It's an honour – great company. To be here as part of this franchise and to do something special like that and be on that list with those legends means a lot to me.

"What's more important is I'm happy that we got the win. It was a grind there in the first half. My team-mates trusted me, told me to get going, and that's what I tried to do."

Davis, who managed 30 minutes, expanded on how he managed to perform despite niggling shoulder pain.

"I was really just trying to figure it all out. It was bothering me a lot, very sore," he said. "But I didn't want to come out the game.

"I just came to the back and adjusted some things and felt good to go back out. I went back out and, late in the second, felt good.

"I did some more stuff at half-time and then went out in the third, just to test it out in the third, and it felt good. That was that.

"I'm fine. It's still a little sore. I got hit a couple of times tonight. But there's a couple of days before we play again, so hopefully I'll feel better by then."

Coach Frank Vogel added: "He gutted it out despite playing in some pain. He was dominant – that's probably the word. He impacted the game on both ends of the floor."