DENVER — Anthony Davis had spent the whole day in bed, preserving his sapped energy. At halftime in the visitors’ locker room, he requested an IV just to have the strength to play another two quarters.



But as Davis headed to the bench for a timeout late in the Lakers’ most impressive win to date, he had the energy to bellow, “First team All-Defense!”



Alex Caruso, who had just fouled out, corrected him.



“I was telling him, ‘No,’” Caruso said. “‘Player of the year.’”



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Davis has not been shy about his desire to win Defensive Player of the Year for the first time this season. For most of the season, he has been the league’s leader in blocks, although after Tuesday’s 105-96 win over the Nuggets, he dipped to 2.7 per game, just behind Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac at 2.8. Against Denver, however, Davis...