The Lakers were hoping to pick up a win against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, but it ended up being another loss on the record with a final score of 132-127 after four. LeBron James didn’t play in the game, so it wasn’t a particularly surprising result for the Lakers, but it was still a poor showing from Davis nonetheless, who scored 15 points on 5-21 shooting.
While Davis is as reliable as they come defensively, he has always struggled to maintain consistency on offense and that was on full display tonight with all the pressure on him to step up and perform without LeBron. In the end, while it was a valiant effort from the Lakers, they just couldn’t pull it off and they now sit two games under .500 at 19-21.
Needless to say, panic is starting to sit in for the Lakers and as the season progresses, the sense of urgency grows to turn this thing around. For now, there is nowhere for the Lakers to turn on an easy solution, but a few trades to mix up the roster could be all they need to make another run in the Western Conference.
Lakers Fans Blast Anthony Davis
It’s been a love-hate relationship between Anthony Davis and Lakers Nation. While everyone knows how important he is to what the team is doing, he has failed to take the mantle from LeBron James as the team’s leader and best player. Despite averaging 25.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on 56.2% shooting, fans expect more from Anthony Davis, who was supposed to be leading the way as LeBron James fades out.
Tonight, after his questionable performance in the game, Davis was the subject of overwhelming scrutiny by fans who demanded better from the 1x champion.
Anthony Davis trying to make a layup (5-21) pic.twitter.com/aIusRJbGBf
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) January 14, 2024
The crazy thing is, it was a pretty solid night for the rest of the cast. D’Angelo Russell finished with his best game in weeks at 39 total points and Austin Reaves also stepped up to deliver some quality minutes. But the Lakers only go as far as Anthony Davis takes them, and he didn’t take them far tonight.
ofc Anthony Davis goes 5/21 tonight in a game where the rest of the team was scoring pretty efficiently 😭 pic.twitter.com/E842Zrc5On
— NBALakersReport (@NBALakersReport) January 14, 2024
While Davis did have 11 assists and 15 rebounds in the game, the Lakers needed him to be more aggressive and efficient in scoring the ball and he wasn’t able to do that with the game on the line.
https://twitter.com/xcallumxo/status/1746396325967536359
The Lakers next play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, which is shaping up to be a very important game for both sides. And while the outcome remains to be seen, expect the Lakers to come out with some major desperation, regardless of whether or not LeBron James is playing.
Trade Deadline Is Looming
Tomorrow is when most players become trade-eligible and it’s likely when we’ll see the rumor mill really ramp up for the Lakers. Already, a number of potential deals have emerged and all of them involve getting the Lakers some help on the perimeter to space the floor and open up the lane for the stars.
Names like Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, and others have all been linked to the Lakers and it’s clear they are looking for some pure scores to help stop the bleeding. Either way, don’t expect the Lakers to stand PAT this summer with LeBron James giving everything he has in his final good years of play.
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