Anthony Davis blamed the Los Angeles Lakers’ poor defense for their failure against the Clippers, who trounced them 114-101 at the Crypto.com Arena.
The side’s defense, which was one of the bright spots in the first few games of the season, has been lacking over the last few skirmishes, and the big man expressed his frustration as the Lakers went 2-9 after the loss.
Speaking to the media after being outplayed by their rivals, Davis felt their lack of effort on the defensive end was the result of their own doing.
"We're starting to figure everything out offensively. Defense is self-inflicted." – Anthony Davis reflects on Lakers' losing streak. pic.twitter.com/s8ilLN0uHl
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 10, 2022
“We’re starting to figure everything out offensively. Defense is self-inflicted.”
Davis couldn’t be more right, and the proof was seen in the box score where the Clippers ran amok in the first and third quarters. They heavily outscored the Lakers 33-23, even as the second and the fourth quarter saw the latter storm back into the game.
The center had another decent outing with 21 points, 9 boards, and 3 assists, while LeBron James topped with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Troy Brown Jr. chipped in with 14 points and 4 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook had 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists. That said, it wasn’t enough to overpower the Clippers.
Defense Has Been An Issue With The Lakers
It wasn’t just this game, as Los Angeles came up short in some of the previous contests as well. Defense-first coach Darvin Ham was displeased when the Lakers’ lack of effort on that end cost them a win against the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers lost both games to the Jazz, and one of them was due to their defensive presence failing to show up. The new head coach stressed the need to improve. Per Lakers Nation:
“We took a huge step backward tonight. Giving up 75 points in the first half, giving them at least three 30-plus point quarters. We can’t play like that. We were good during different small stretches, but the overall picture that was painted by us defensively sucks. And we’ll address it in film, and practice. And we’ll get together tomorrow and do deep dive into why things were the way they were tonight.”
This was further seconded by LeBron James, who demanded more from the defense that would essentially win them games over the course of the season.
“We don’t never want it to happen, but there are some games throughout the course of an 82-game season where you obviously just don’t have it defensively. And we didn’t have it for 48 minutes. We had it in spurts. But, we know in order for us to win, we’ve gotta defend. And, tonight, I think we had a 50-40-90 offensive night, and we still lost. So, that’s why I was talking earlier in the season about ‘it’s not about the offense, we have to defend.’ Obviously, we gotta make shots, but if we defend, we’re gonna give ourselves a better chance to win.”
The Lakers will look to build on more defense — something they have shown to be adept at in the early stages of the season. Will this be their way forward against the Sacramento Kings? Only time will tell.
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