Anthony Davis Misses Buzzer-Beating Three As Lakers Fall To Nets
The Lakers let this game slip past them.
After a whirlwind weekend filled with huge wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and the Clippers, the Lakers lacked focus Tuesday in their 104-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Lakers had a chance to escape with a win after LeBron James penetrated the key in the final seconds, drawing three defenders, then kicked the ball out to Anthony Davis, who shot a 26-foot three-pointer at the buzzer. But the ball bounced off of the rim, snapping the Lakers' four-game winning streak.
"It’s our jobs to finish plays moving forward, obviously knowing that [James] draws a lot of attention," Davis said. "We’re gonna try to be ready."
There were 14 lead changes and 12 ties against the Nets, who are seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-34.
"I just felt like our guys were trying," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "They were competing. Really, in every game it’s not really a yes or no, it’s not always black or white. There’s possessions where we could’ve fought harder or executed better. But I just thought our intent, our desire to win this game and validate our weekend was at a high level, we just fell short."
James was one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 29 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Davis had 26 points and eight rebounds. They each made four three-pointers and were a combined 8-for-17 from beyond the arc.
James and Davis made a late-game push to erase their six-point hole in the final 3 1/2 minutes, capped off by a three-pointer from Davis with 43.1 seconds left that tied the score at 102-102 and sent the fans at Staples Center onto their feet screaming.
After the game, Davis was asked how he'd feel if the NBA bans fans from games because of the coronavirus health scare.
"There’s nothing like the fans," Davis said. "...We kind of fed off of their energy late in the game. There’s no telling if they weren’t allowed to come to this game, there’s no telling what the score would be or how we would play. But if it happens, it happens. There’s nothing we can do about it. We got to continue to go out there and play ball games, but hopefully we’ll be able to get through it."
The NBA is not allowing reporters into locker rooms in the wake of the coronavirus. There will reportedly be a conference call Wednesday with the team owners to discuss potential next steps, including whether fans should continue to be allowed at games.
"None of us have ever played a basketball game where no one has been in the stands," James said. "Like, literally, no one has been in the stands. So, it would be something that would be very challenging. But we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens with the protocol and everything that goes along with that going forward. Just take it from there."
With so much uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, Davis said his teammates found a moment of levity around the situation.
According to Davis, the Lakers jokingly called him and Avery Bradley "The Corona Boys" after Davis pretended to lick his hand and then gave Bradley a high-five in celebration in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over the Clippers.
"I actually thought about it and I was like, 'Don't do it,'" Davis said.
The Lakers, who are atop the Western Conference with a record of 49-14, will need to wait for another game to reach 50 wins for the first time since 2011.
On Tuesday, they sent the Nets to the free-throw line 23 times, while only shooting 12 shots from the charity stripe. The Nets had 14 offensive rebounds, while the Lakers only had eight. And the Lakers had 15 turnovers, four more than the Nets.
"We’ve just got to be better, and stay even keeled no matter what’s going on," James said.
