On Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers competed pretty hard with the New York Knicks, but they ultimately fell short in a 112-108 loss that snapped their three-game winning streak.
One culprit was the offensive end in the fourth quarter. While the Lakers’ transition game was solid with 25 fast-break points, they simply couldn’t execute effectively or get good shots down the stretch, as New York pressured their guards on the perimeter.
A big casualty of L.A.’s poor execution was Anthony Davis, who was swarmed for the second straight game both with and without the ball. He gathered 16 rebounds, but with just 17 points on 8-of-18 shooting, he didn’t play up to his standards for the second straight game.
After the game, a crestfallen Davis offered a mea culpa.
“The guys did their job. I didn’t do my job tonight." @AntDavis23 blames himself for the loss tonight even after a 17pts,16rebs, 2stl, and 1blk stat-filling night. pic.twitter.com/Q1NgtwAm2e
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 13, 2023
It is a good sign that Davis took responsibility for his sub-standard play, especially given all the criticism he receives from some Lakers fans who constantly harangue him for his perceived laziness and soft play.
Los Angeles will start a two-game road trip on Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have the same 33-35 record as Davis and company. However, the Lakers hold the tiebreaker by virtue of a 2-1 lead in the season series thus far, which puts them in 11th place in the Western Conference.
