Anthony Davis calls for “sense of urgency” after LA Lakers’ loss to Pelicans: “It has to happen now”
LA Lakers superstar Anthony Davis seemed disappointed with the team's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. With another loss in the books, Davis highlighted the need for "urgency" to put together a string of wins.
It's no secret that the LA Lakers haven't had a great season. Sitting at 25-29, the Lakers are ranked 13th in the West. This is far from a position they'd want to be in.
Considering the chemistry issues early on and the overall problems with execution, the Lakers have also faced severe issues with injuries this season. Having seen several key players out of the rotation at different points in time, the Purple and Gold have really struggled to settle into a rhythm.
This remains evident as the Lakers come up with another loss to see an end to any winning momentum they could have developed. Needless to say, with only a small portion of the season left to play, the Purple and Gold are frustrated.
Lakers superstar Anthony Davis also shed light on the current situation following the loss to the Pelicans. Speaking on the state of the team at this point in the season, Davis highlighted the need to put together a winning streak and get things back on track. He said:
"Sense of urgency is very high,” said Davis after the Lakers' loss to the Pelicans. “It has to happen now…put a streak together very quickly."
Anthony Davis preaches ‘urgency’ as Lakers lose critical game to Pelicans:
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Anthony Davis echoed the sentiments of the team through his comments. However, the situation remains dire. While most of the key players in the rotation are available, the Purple and Gold are still coming up short in late-game situations.
While also considering the sheer number of trade rumors ahead of the trade deadline, the Lakers may be experiencing some degree of internal turmoil. Overall, the Lakeshow are in yet another turbulent part of the season.
Anthony Davis came up short in leading the Lakers to a win
The LA Lakers were in a solid position to win the game in New Orleans. Anthony Davis and LeBron James both played some tremendous basketball in the first half. With Davis dominating the paint, the Purple and Gold were making solid forays into New Orleans' defense. However, everything fell apart in the second.
Anthony Davis had the hot hand in the third quarter and managed to end the night with 34 points. However, he was a virtual non-factor in the second half as the Pelicans tore through the Lakers' defense.
Pelicans star Brandon Ingram put on a show for the home crowd as he notched 35 points on the night. Ingram was joined by CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III, who had 23 and 21 points respectively. Additionally, some solid work by Jose Alvarado also aided New Orleans' winning effort down the stretch.
Although Davis and LeBron played well, the Purple and Gold saw virtually no contributions from the starting lineup. New arrival Rui Hachimura was a virtual non-factor along with Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schroder.
The bench rotation saw solid contributions from Russell Westbrook, Wenyen Gabriel and Troy Brown Jr. However, this wasn't enough to facilitate a win.
The only positive takeaway was for James, who closed in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record. However, each loss sees the window close on the Lakers' postseason aspirations.