Anthony Davis did not have the best of nights against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, but teammate Austin Reaves has come to his defense. Reaves was asked what he thought of the big man’s display during his postgame interview and said Davis did everything well except for shooting the ball.
“Yeah, I mean I can already see the headlines, ‘AD sucks’ or ‘AD can’t do this, can’t do that’. He had a tough night shooting the ball, other than that, he was fantastic,” Reaves stated. “Like you said, 11 assists, triple-double. From the gate, they were doubling him, he was making the right play and I guarantee if you go back and watch the film and we get him the ball in the positions that he missed shots in, you would turn around and do the same thing again.”
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Davis had 15 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks in the game, but went just 5-21 from the field. As Reaves says, there was a lot to like about the performance but ultimately when someone shoots that poorly from the field, the focus will be on it.
Had Davis managed to hit just a couple more shots, the game could have turned out differently, as the Los Angeles Lakers lost 132-125. They have now fallen to 19-21 on the season and another loss seems to be on the cards in their next game, as they face the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder.
Anthony Davis Took The Blame For the Loss
This isn’t the first time that the guard has come to his teammate’s defense. Last month, Reaves defended Davis’ ugly stat line against the Kings. He is just being a good teammate, and you can’t knock someone for that.
While Reaves was quick to jump to his defense here, Davis took responsibility for the loss to the Jazz. He said the loss was down to him and he didn’t do his job. With LeBron James missing this game due to an ankle problem, all eyes were on Davis, and the shots just wouldn’t fall for him.
The double teams he was constantly facing had something to do with that, but you’d expect better from your superstar. The Lakers will certainly need a big night from him if they are to beat the Thunder, especially if James ends up missing that contest as well.
Austin Reaves Fouled Out In The Game
As for Reaves’ night, he exited the game midway through the fourth quarter after picking up six fouls. The 25-year-old was being hunted on defense, as was the case against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, and it’s starting to become a real issue.
There was nothing to complain about his offense, though. Reaves had 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists on the night while shooting 7-8 from the field. The question now, however, is whether the offensive production makes up for those issues on defense.
Reportedly, the Lakers are unwilling to trade Reaves for Dejounte Murray, but you do wonder if that stance changes in the coming weeks. Murray could be quite an interesting addition to the Lakers, as he would provide some much-needed defense at that guard spot. The big concern with Murray has always been the three-point shooting, but he has shot 39.7% from beyond the arc this season, which is pretty good.
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