Watch: Carmelo Anthony misses clutch 3 for LA Lakers in Clippers loss, says "my legs wasn't underneath me"

Carmelo Anthony missed a late, game-changing three-point shot against their nemesis, the LA Clippers. [Photo: Sporting News]

Carmelo Anthony has opened up on his missed clutch three in the LA Lakers' close loss to city rivals LA Clippers.

The Lakers dropped another excruciatingly painful and close loss to the Clippers, getting humbled 105-102 by their rivals. LeBron James missed a desperate three-point shot at the buzzer as the Lakers dropped to 27-32 on the season.

Before James' last-ditch effort, Anthony had a better crack at changing the outcome of the game. Anthony received a pass from the four-time MVP with about seven seconds left and the Lakers trailing 102-103. Instead of going for a quick two by driving to the basket, the 10x All-Star settled for an ambitious 35-footer that barely grazed the front of the rim.

Anthony said in a post-game interview regarding his head-shaking deep three-point shot (via Mark Medina):

“I tried to get a good look. At that point, I was just scrambling. My shot was short. My legs wasn’t underneath me. I missed it. It is what it is. I’ll take that shot tonight any night.”

Here's a clip of his missed three-point attempt:

Former NBA player and coach Sam Mitchell, who was analyzing on NBA TV, provided his evaluation of the sequence:

“I'm not taking a 35 foot three that ended up three feet short. That's my problem with the Lakers. The age, those guys' minds keep telling them that they can do things, and they can shoot the standstill shot, but that wasn't a situation for a standstill shot. That was the situation to get into the gut of the defense and make a play for yourself or for your teammate.”

The LA Lakers were only trailing by a point when Carmelo Anthony received the ball from beyond the arc. He could have driven to the basket before kicking it out to an open teammate or force a foul. The shot resulted in a smattering of boos and catcalls, as the ill-fated attempt practically ended the Lakers' chances of winning.

When asked if the Lakers needed Anthony's shot at that moment, Mitchell was quick and decisive with his reply:

“No, that tells me right there they felt like that's the only shot they can get. And look man, the body, the legs won't let him do it And that's my thing with the Lakers. They keep talking about all these great players. Yeah, we're great players. Still good but not great. They can’t carry a team, and if you can't move your feet and defend you are in trouble.”

Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and LA Lakers superstars are winless against LA Clippers this season

In three matchups between the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers this season, the Lakers fell 119-115, 111-110 and 105-102 to the Clippers.

Kawhi Leonard missed all three games, while Paul George missed two of them. The Lakers' recent loss to the Clippers was another alarming reminder of their horrific performance, despite Leonard, George and new acquisition Normal Powell all sidelined.

Heartbreak https://t.co/kSI9oWUyJU

While the Lakers have been desperately looking for help despite the presence of former All-Stars in their lineup, the Clippers are reaping the benefits from role players. Amir Coffey, Luke Kennard and Terance Mann have made the Clippers competitive and better than the star-studded Lakers.

The @LAClippers RUN Los Angeles. They are 31-8 against the @Lakers in the last 10 years 💀💀 https://t.co/srmUPR0DH9

Both teams will have their final matchup before the season ends. The Lakers might want to win that game as they seek to qualify for the play-in tournament and to salvage some pride against their depleted rivals.