“Defensively, we were all over the place” - Anthony Davis sums up LA Lakers’ meltdown in another disastrous loss to the OKC Thunder
Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers suffered yet another devastating loss at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Like in their previous match, the Lakers had a commanding lead, only to see the youthful Thunder punish their defense to carve another dramatic win.
When Anthony Davis was asked about the reason for the LA Lakers’ collapse in a postgame interview, he was very candid in his reply.
Here’s what he said in the interview (via Spectrum SportsNet):
“Defensively we were all over the place. I feel like they were waiting on our coverages. Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] was just picking us apart with his jump shot and then towards the end just his passing towards the right guys.”
“Defensively we were all over the place.” @AntDavis23 on the #Lakers defensive coverages, playing without LeBron and an update on his thumb. https://t.co/eVahoUSd6h
Te 28-year-old further stressed that the Oklahoma City Thunder made all the right decisions that led to their comeback.
“They knew what we were doing. I mean they knew what we were doing, kind of did that entire second half and their coach or Shai, whoever it was that made the adjustment to put their players in the right spot. And they made shots.”
Anthony Davis gave credit where credit was due and praised Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for a masterful job throughout the game, particularly in the crucial moments.
“Shai did a good job of picking us apart and making good reads, while we were trying to get the ball out of his hands. He made us pay for it by trying to double team him, trying to get the ball out of his hands.”
Gilgeous-Alexander made a pressure-packed shot from the logo to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a critical six-point lead and stun the star-studded Staples Center crowd.
SHAI. FROM THE LOGO. DAGGER 3 🎯 https://t.co/H9Xl6HJlmu
How will Anthony Davis’ injury affect the LA Lakers who are already about to miss LeBron James?
Anthony Davis injured his thumb in the closing minutes of the first half. It has still not been determined how serious the injury is. Davis, though, mentioned in the post-game interview that he is fine and it’s just going to be a wait-and-see situation.
Losing Anthony Davis to an injury will severely cripple the LA Lakers. LeBron James is currently sidelined with an abdominal strain for at least a week. The absence of the two superstars will leave the Lakers vulnerable.
Anthony Davis said he had a hard time moving his thumb initially after spraining it, but insisted it was "fine" postgame.
Still, he admitted that he isn't sure he'll be able to play on Saturday.
“We’ll see how it feels,” Davis said.
silverscreenandroll.com/2021/11/4/2276…
Frank Vogel’s option at center is limited. Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan can offer some solid minutes, but nowhere near the production and defense that Anthony Davis brings. There’s no doubt that the LA Lakers will struggle even more without The Brow in their lineup.