Lakers News: Anthony Davis Says Lakers Loss Is "A Game We Could Have Won"
Despite losing to the Warriors 121-114 on opening night, Anthony Davis knows the Lakers were winning and could have won the game.
Anthony Davis took ownership of the Lakers' loss despite having good individual numbers on opening night. He had 33 points and 11 rebounds on 57% shooting. Davis looked dominant in the paint and in his post-game, and his jumper looked fresh. In the postgame interview, Davis spoke for the Lakers as a whole instead of shifting any blame.
"We've just got to do a better job at closing quarters. We let Poole get going. Our rotations. Not saying it's an excuse, but AB (Avery Bradley) hadn't had one practice with us. Obviously, he knows our system, kind of the same defensively, and he's a great defensive player. We had some miscues. I had a miscue on the Wiggins three in front of our bench. Offensive rebounds. They hurt us with the three towards the end of the game. We've just got to be able to get our schemes. We're not going to overreact. Obviously, we don't have all of our guys, but it's a game we definitely could have won."
He makes a good point about Avery Bradley. Bradley's defensive energy was immediate. You could feel it on the floor with the Lakers the moment Bradley check into the game. Bradley did miss a few rotations, but Davis was quick to give Bradley an understandable pass on the blame, as Bradley has been a Laker this season for a matter of hours.
Davis was quick to clarify that there were no excuses. The offensive rebounds Davis alluded to were mostly in the second half. The Lakers dominated the boards early, but as the game progressed the energy off the boards shifted to the Warriors. The Lakers will have to clean the glass up more consistently if they're going to hold leads.
Davis says the Lakers have no excuses, despite the fact he could have offered plenty. Davis is a superstar and his standards are high. The Lakers will bounce back.
