The Los Angeles Lakers fell to a bad 110-114 loss to the Houston Rockets after not playing Anthony Davis as a precaution against future injuries.
Fans were not happy about the decision and criticized coach Darvin Ham endlessly. It seems he may have upset fans even more with a puzzling statement about the Lakers’ playoff push.
Darvin Ham when asked about the added weight of each loss considering the standings:
"Would I rather have a secure playoff spot? Sure, but the circumstances are what they are. It is what it is."
Real quote.
— Richard Staple, BSN, RN🇯🇲 (@RichStapless) March 16, 2023
The circumstance was very self-inflicted in this situation. After the All-Star break, Ham himself said that he won’t be resting players on back-to-backs to ensure the team can earn a playoff seed. Not only did he bench Anthony Davis, but Davis himself also came out and said he was pain-free and wanted to play the game.
Protecting a player is one thing, but they could have done so by playing AD on a minutes restriction. Given how thin the margins are in the West playoff race, the Lakers could end up ruing this decision in the future.
A Bad Loss To One Of The Worst Teams In The NBA
Even though many fans expected the Rockets to let the Lakers win due to their tanking efforts, the young team from Houston came out with a lot of energy. The Lakers were clearly overconfident heading into the game, playing lazy basketball that even Ham criticized.
Darvin Ham says the #Lakers effort and energy was "non-existent" to start the game tonight.
"We should've been the ones playing with that type of edge [the Rockets were playing with]."
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) March 16, 2023
The Lakers outscored the Rockets by 10 points over the second half, which goes to show they could’ve won this game without Davis if they were locked in as a unit from the start of the game. Complacency is their worst enemy right now and that is what they showed tonight.
LeBron James is still over a week away from returning, so players need to start holding each other accountable. Coach Ham needs to make sure he prepares his players’ mentality for each game, as every game is a must-win for the Lakers from now.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
