"Had more attitude with me and Stephen A": Kendrick Perkins laments Anthony Davis' performance after not showing up to greet ESPN analyst
ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins called out Anthony Davis on his attitude and performance in the historic game between the LA Lakers and the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
"Anthony Davis had more attitude with me and Stephen A today before the game than he actually did in the game," Perkins said.
In the above video, Perkins was also referring to the instance when he was hosting ESPN’s pre-game show courtside before the game along with Stephen A, Bob Myers, and Malika Andrews. Anthony Davis did not show up to greet them, while the man of the hour, LeBron James did.
Kendrick Perkins expressed the opinion while reviewing the game on NBA Countdown in response to his co-host, ESPN analyst Steven A Smith's analogy.
Steven expressed his disappointment in the Lakers for not securing the win. He reasoned the loss by saying that Anthony Davis failed to nullify Nikola Jokic's impact on the game.
"You can't have Nikola Jokic dropping 35 and Anthony Davis answering with 17, you just can't do it," Steven A said. "If you are the Los Angeles Lakers and you've got Championship aspirations."
He added:
"The big boy, who is an All-Star and a superstar talent in this game, has to show up and give me a little bit extra when that other superstar who's a reigning defending NBA champion, okay, when that brother shows up. I didn't see that tonight, and I didn't like it."
The matchup featured LeBron James crossing the 40,000 career points mark in the NBA, becoming the only player to ever do so. However, the Nuggets clinched the win 124-114, denying James and the Lakers a picture-perfect historic night on their home ground in Los Angeles.
Anthony Davis' performance in the historic game
A worthy battle between the dominating centers, Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic, was anticipated in the game. However, Davis did not quite match Jokic's performance, which played a role in the LA Lakers being handed the loss.
Davis registered 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and three blocks for the Lakers in contrast to Jokic's 35 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and one block for the Nuggets.
LeBron James led the losing effort for the Lakers registering 26 points, four rebounds, nine assists, and three steals. James made a layup during the starting minutes of the second quarter to breach the 40,000 career points benchmark.
The all-time NBA scoring leader described the night as "bittersweet" because of the loss they suffered at home ground.
With a win in the game, the Denver Nuggets secured their sixth win in a row and improved to 42-19 for the season. On the other hand, the LA Lakers slipped to 33-29 with the loss.