There was a different energy inside Crypto.com Arena last night. It was the first “Davis Reunion Game,” with Anthony Davis facing his former team, the LA Lakers. But instead of the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic’s Lakers stole the show. Their strong showing set the tone all night and even led to a surprising admission from their big man, Deandre Ayton.

“I told them today, ‘I said yo, as much pride as I take through one through five, I think you guys are the only two I can’t guard in this league.’ And they both looked at me with a little smirk and started laughing cause they know how good they are,” Ayton admitted about the backcourt duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who were extremely impressive on Friday night.

Both guards have been impressive throughout the season so far, and naturally, they were quite solid against Dallas as well. Reaves looked unstoppable as he finished the night with 38 points on 12-of-15 from the field.

Meanwhile, Doncic wasn’t far behind as he added another 35 points from 10-of-18 shooting, along with dishing out 11 assists.

“Honestly, just the way how they take the leadership, making tough buckets. But just getting our offenses in rhythm. Sometimes, when you think you’re in a slump, and AR has his own thing, and Luka got his own thing. There are just multiple different rhythms, how they put us in momentum in offense,” Ayton further added while speaking to the media.

It is no secret that, apart from their offensive abilities, both guards bring a lot more to the table.

Most importantly, they know how to cover up for each other on that end of the floor. Well, there’s no second-guessing that, as both Reaves and Doncic have been L.A.’s standout players this season and have been playing with a chip on their shoulders.

It’s not far-fetched to say that without either of them, given that LeBron James missed the team’s first 14 games of the season, the Purple & Gold wouldn’t boast a 14-4 record this season. Nonetheless, it seems like Deandre Ayton is also slowly catching up and creating a great bond with them, following his mother’s lovely gesture for the entire squad on Thanksgiving.

Deandre Ayton’s mother cooks up a Thanksgiving meal for the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers already seem to be bonding quite well this season. However, now they might’ve just taken things to a whole new level. One reason they looked so great against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, securing their berth into the NBA Cup quarterfinals, was because of Ayton’s mother, who helped him get back to his feet and rejuvenate his team.

“No, I felt pretty good. I’m not going to lie. I had two days off. I think the turkey and the Thanksgiving food really rejuvenated me and got me back on my feet,” Ayton said during the post-game presser following his return to the court after he suffered a knee contusion and exited the game against Utah.

However, thanks to his mother, Andrea Ayton, who cooked a special Jamaican-Bahamian Thanksgiving meal for him and his teammates, he could make a swift recovery, or so he claims, along with further boosting the team’s chemistry.

“Yeah, I truly appreciate the Lakers really just letting my mom in the kitchen just doing her thing, showing love, and just spreading love. She loves to fill people’s tummies with joy. And honestly, her son plays for the Lakers; that was her Super Bowl,” Ayton further added.

Well, this wasn’t the first time Deandre Ayton’s mother had entered an NBA team’s kitchen, as she had previously helped raise money for an Arizona charity in 2022. However, this certainly was the first time the Lakers players got a taste of his mother’s cooking, and judging by how the game went, the result, they probably loved it.