"You let the team down again AD" - NBA fans destroy Anthony Davis after a late foul allows Wolves to take it to overtime
Anthony Davis went from single-handedly leading the LA Lakers to wins to potentially costing them the seventh seed on Tuesday. The Lakers took a three-point lead after Dennis Schroder's go-ahead bucket from deep with one second left in the fourth quarter.
The T'Wolves found Mike Conley in the corner on the last possession with only 0.8 seconds left. Conley launched the shot and hit the backboard. However, AD fouled him on the play, awarding Conley and the Timberwolves the chance to tie the game and send it to overtime with three shooting fouls.
Conley knocked down all attempts, and the Lakers and Minnesota proceeded to play five more minutes to decide the winner of the contest. The winning team will qualify as the seventh seed and play the Memphis Grizzlies in round one.
Lakers fans online were upset about Anthony Davis' careless play, and they let their thoughts be known online. One fan wrote:
"You let the team down again AD!!!"
@TheHoopCentral You let the team down again AD!!!
More reactions followed:
@TheHoopCentral AD https://t.co/OfQEzZNhpH
@TheHoopCentral Anthony Davis trying to stop Conley from shooting https://t.co/hdRyGO5rbW
@TheHoopCentral AD sells the lakers at the biggest moments
@TheHoopCentral AD.. https://t.co/KrmD7RhrUg
@TheHoopCentral LEBRON GOTTA PLAY AGAINST THE WOLVES AND HIS TEAMMATES
@TheHoopCentral AD DID IT AGAIN, THEYRE CALLING AD DO YOU HEAR THEM!!!! https://t.co/TYIBK5IPmZ
@TheHoopCentral https://t.co/3FEtvYsGKZ
@TheHoopCentral https://t.co/uNX4XrdDx7
@TheHoopCentral Nah can’t defend AD no more . He’s not him 😭😭
@TheHoopCentral davis https://t.co/or7upzoHKd
@TheHoopCentral AD https://t.co/k0EJV3V60w
LA Lakers close out Minnesota Timberwolves despite Anthony Davis' blunder to clinch the seventh seed
The LA Lakers eventually secured a 108-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in their seventh-seed play-in game on Tuesday. Anthony Davis' foul on Mike Conley put the team's chances of sealing the win in jeopardy. However, LA held on in overtime, outscoring the T'Wolves 10-4 in the in OT to secure the victory.
The Lakers struggled to keep the T'Wolves off the three-point line, allowing them to make 16 triples. LA failed to match Minnesota's offense for most of the game. The Lakers shot 10 threes and converted 41.3% of their shots, while Minnesota shot nearly over 50% until the fourth quarter.
The LA Lakers turned the heat on defensively in the clutch as they limited Karl-Anthony Towns and co to just 12 points in the fourth. That tally would've been only nine had AD not fouled Mike Conley on the perimeter.
That's how impressive the Lakers' defense was, something that has helped them turn their season around and finish with a winning record (43-39), despite starting the year 2-10. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder were the key architects of the win. James tallied 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Davis had 24 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and four blocks.
Schroder tallied 21 points and made eight-of-eight free throws. He changed the tempo of the game in the fourth quarter and knocked down shots in the clutch, including the go-ahead three-pointer with a second left in the game.
LA will now face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs on April 16th on the road.