SUMMARY
- Anthony Davis fell on the Nuggets' bench after Jamal Murray hit a game winner over him.
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dove at AD's feet in order to prevent others from inadvertently injuring him.
Denver Nuggets star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made the decision to save Anthony Davis and the Lakers’ chances of winning an NBA championship this season alongside Davis. Most NBA fans will be aware that the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets have been matched up for the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
As Game 2 between the Lakers and Nuggets came to a nail-biting conclusion, Anthony Davis found himself risking potential injury and was protected by his former teammate. Since many fans may have missed or not paid attention to KCP’s actions after the game, a closer look is certainly required.
KCP fell to the floor in order to protect Anthony Davis after Game 2’s buzzer-beater
While there have been several ways for games to come to an end, one could argue that Game 2 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets concluded in a way that fans didn’t see coming. The Lakers started off strong and had a 20-point lead over the Nuggets after the first half of the game. However, Denver remained resilient and cut the lead down. The Nuggets were tied at 99-99 with the Lakers heading into the final play.
Likely won’t be discussed at all…
BUT
check out KCP making sure his former teammate Anthony Davis’ foot DOES NOT GET HURT amidst that Nuggets pile up on the bench. pic.twitter.com/RjQYz7ToZO
— TJ Manotoc (@tjmanotoc) April 23, 2024
Since all the Nuggets were eager to rush onto Jamal and celebrate, that would mean running over Anthony Davis and his extended feet. In order to prevent AD from sustaining a potential injury, Kentavious Caldwell Pope fell on his knee and protected him from any awkward impact. This is a good sign of sportsmanship and undoubtedly speaks to KCP’s character and nature.
Do the Lakers have any chance of making a comeback in this series?
Although Anthony Davis appears to have avoided any injury from this interaction, there is no denying that the Lakers are in a bad situation at the moment. They have now lost 10 straight games in a row to the Nuggets and simply do not appear to have a way to win.