Anthony Davis has been one of the most influential and important players to the LA Lakers alongside LeBron James. The games he missed most times didn’t end well for the Lakers due to the absence of his physical presence and on-court abilities which have seen him make the most blocks for the Lakers this season.
In the recent matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Davis physicality was evident in the game, though not for some good reasons as his technical foul fueled a heated confrontation between the two teams.
Anthony Davis fouls Santi Aldama
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis and Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama received technical fouls after an on-court scuffle during Tuesday’s game. In the first quarter, following Davis’ layup, Aldama confronted him with the ball. Davis responded by pushing Aldama to the ground, leading to a double technical foul.
As Aldama collected the basket and tried to pass the ball past Davis’ chest, the typically calm Center pushed him, causing Aldama to fall backward along the baseline. This prompted a quick reaction from Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and wing Bane, who confronted Davis chest-to-chest. D’Angelo Russell intervened to defuse the situation, pushing Bane away from Davis as both teams separated.
The aftermath resulted in five technical fouls—three on the Grizzlies (Aldama, Bane, and Jenkins) and two on the Lakers (Davis and Russell)—plus a free throw for the Lakers due to an extra technical on the Grizzlies’ side.
Austin Reaves made the free throw, turning the incident into a net positive for L.A Lakers. The confrontation reflected the Lakers’ intense approach in the first quarter, leading 37-26—their largest first-quarter lead this season and only their second first-quarter lead overall.
Fans reaction to Lakers vs Grizzlies scuffle
In the first half of the matchup between the Lakers and Grizzlies, Davis made a layup, and Aldama confronted Davis with the ball. Davis then pushed Aldama to the ground, leading to the issuance of a double technical foul which later led to the officials dishing out five technical fouls and has now gained rapid attention from sports fans and enthusiasts.
Fans are having split opinions on the incident while some are having the most fun they could have from the Lakers – Grizzlies first-half drama. Some fans have frowned at Davis’ action saying the push from him was too hard. “Bro sold that push so hard lmfao, don’t fw AD”, one fan wrote.
Some fans also say that the NBA is now becoming a fighting ground and compared it to the WWE, “NBA becoming the WWE tonight”
However, most fans quickly drew the attention of everyone to the suspended Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who was suspended for 25 games due to his activities with firearms, calling the Lakers to be careful dealing with the Grizzlies. “They better chill before Ja pop out”.
The first half of drama during the Lakers and the Grizzlies game will continue to garner attention from fans and more reactions will continue to pop up, while the NBA community awaits further drama at the end of the game during the post-match briefing.
