NBA News Update: LeBron James "not concerned" by LA Lakers' loss, Anthony Davis blames foul trouble
The LA Lakers were in for a surprise on Sunday night as the Miami Heat took the initiative and claimed a 115-104 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Jimmy Butler led the cause for Miami with a 40-point triple-double. But as every other NBA news update has rightly pointed out, he was helped by the 13 turnovers that LeBron James and Anthony Davis committed.
This was a serious confidence booster for the Miami Heat who played without Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic. They've got the scope to build on this and give a serious challenge to the LA Lakers during the rest of the series. Despite the possibility of this, LeBron James isn't concerned.
NBA News Update: LeBron James claims LA Lakers aren't bothered by Game 3 loss
Speaking after the game, LeBron James claimed that the LA Lakers are not concerned, simply because they can play better. He said:
"I don’t feel like we’re concerned. We’re not concerned. We know we can play a lot better. We have another opportunity to take a commanding lead on Tuesday."
LeBron James also gave Jimmy Butler his due credit for the phenomenal game that the latter had.
"I thought Jimmy was phenomenal...we’ll watch the film and see how we can be better (on him) in Game 4."
LeBron James then took the responsibility for the 19 turnovers that the LA Lakers committed on Sunday night.
"It starts with myself being the starting point guard of the team... I take full responsibility."
NBA News Update: Anthony Davis cites foul trouble as reason for bad performance
Anthony Davis had a tough outing in Game 3 against the Miami Heat. Davis attempted just nine shots and managed only 15 points. Foul trouble and silly turnovers in the first half saw the Kentucky alumni spend most of the time on the bench. When he was on the court for LA Lakers, AD barely had the desired impact as he finished the night with a -26 plus-minus rating.
Addressing the foul trouble, Davis said:
"It takes away the aggressiveness I like to play with on both ends of the floor."
AD then assured that both he and the LA Lakers will be fine from here onwards.
"I'll be fine. I just got to be better on both ends of the floor. foul trouble, bringing the energy...I have to be better. We're still up in this series. We never want to get too high and never get too low."
Game 4 of the NBA Finals takes place on Tuesday.
Also read: LA Lakers 104-115 Miami Heat - Twitter explodes as Jimmy Butler punishes LeBron James & co. with 40-point triple-double | NBA Finals