"We don't know what we're doing": Anthony Davis makes honest admission about Lakers' execution in crunch-time situations
Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers suffered a late-game collapse during Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday. Following their last-second 101-99 defeat, the superstar big man called out his team's crunch-time execution.
Trailing Denver 1-0 in their series, LA got off to a hot start, building a 15-point halftime advantage (59-44). The Lakers later stretched their lead to 20 points (68-48) early in the third quarter. However, they ultimately let their foot off the gas, allowing Denver to close the game on a 53-31 run.
Despite relinquishing a 20-point lead, LA had a chance to win the game. However, Lakers superstar forward LeBron James missed a go-ahead 3-point attempt with the game tied 99-99 with 15.2 seconds remaining. That set the stage for Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray to convert a buzzer-beating step-back jumper over Davis to win the game.
After the hectic finish, Davis, who recorded a game-high 32 points and 11 rebounds, highlighted how LA consistently looks out of sorts in critical moments.
“We have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor," Davis said, via The Athletic's Jovan Buha. "And those are the ones that cost us."
Following their Game 2 loss, the Lakers trail the Nuggets 2-0 heading home for Thursday's Game 3. They have lost 10 consecutive games against Denver, with their last victory coming in 2022. So, LA will likely face a tough task bouncing back against the defending champions.
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Lakers legend echoes Anthony Davis' sentiment, blasts LA for Game 2 letdown against Denver
Lakers legend James Worthy shared a similar point of view as Anthony Davis following LA's Game 2 letdown against Denver. During Spectrum SportsNet's postgame show, the three-time NBA champion blasted the Lakers for their lack of urgency with a chance to tie the series at stake.
“They lacked killer instinct and [made] frivolous, unprofessional basketball plays," Worthy said. "Unprofessional basketball plays in the playoffs of a second game [against] a team that has your number."
It remains to be seen if the Lakers' Game 2 meltdown will motivate them to give a full 48-minute effort in Game 3. However, they will likely need to win Game 3 to have a realistic chance of making the series competitive.
NBA teams are 0-151 all-time when facing 3-0 playoff deficits, with only four of those series stretching to seven games.
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