Anthony Davis scores 34 points with 9 rebounds in NBA Finals debut

Anthony Davis’ historic outing (34 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST) in Game 1 lifted the Lakers to a 1-0 series lead in the NBA Finals

Anthony Davis ended Gam e 1 of the NBA Finals with 34 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks.

Per ESPN, Davis’ Finals debut performance is surpassed only by some all-time greats. Since the NBA-ABA merger (1976-77), only Allen Iverson (48 points), Kevin Durant (36 points) and Michael Jordan (36 points) have scored more points than Davis in their first Finals game.

And when it comes to the Lakers’ storied franchise history, Davis’ 34-point Game 1 performance is behind only Shaquille O’Neal’s 43 points and George Mikan’s 42 points for most points by a player in his Lakers Finals debut.

“It’s a great honor to be in that category with those guys,” said Davis, who made 10 free throws, one fewer than the entire Heat team made in Game 1. “I mean, they have done so much for the game, Hall of Famers, and for me to come out and perform that way and be mentioned with those guys … obviously that’s a great honor, but I also want to be mentioned in categories with champions, so that’s the next step.”