The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their second consecutive loss at the NBA regular season, falling 127-102 to the Denver Nuggets to drop to a 10-6 record. After the game, Anthony Davis reflected on the defeat, pinpointing a specific issue that cost his team.
The Lakers started strong, taking a 63-57 lead into halftime. However, a dismal third quarter saw them outscored 37-15 by the Nuggets, who took control with a 94-78 lead heading into the final frame. Davis pointed to the team’s lackluster third-quarter performance as the turning point.
“We were bad in the third quarter,” Davis said in the postgame press conference. “We weren’t making shots, and we scored 15 points in the third. That was the game right there. We were giving up a lot of backdoors that we weren’t giving up in the first half. Maybe we go back to a zone or set defense. We just [have to] score the basketball.”
He added: “When you play so well in the first half and then we come out like we did in that third quarter, giving up backdoors and 3s that were wide open, it’s definitely deflating. It’s not our defense. Then to combat that you go down and can’t make a shot. So when it rains, it pours. We just got to be better on both ends of the floor.”
Anthony Davis 3 of the Los Angeles Lakers is defended by Michael Porter Jr. 1 of the Denver Nuggets as he drives to the basekt during a regular season NBA game. (IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire)
Davis dismisses any mental block against the Nuggets
While the Lakers have struggled in recent matchups against the Nuggets, Davis rejected the idea that the loss stemmed from any psychological edge held by Denver. “Because of this team? No. I mean, I personally don’t. I’m not sure about anyone else, I don’t think it does,” Davis said when asked if Denver’s past dominance weighed on the Lakers.
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He continued: “But no, I think we just got to be better on both ends of the floor. We had multiple games this season where we played well in the first half and second half, we don’t, but we still found ways to win. Guys still made shots.”
Lakers’ offensive struggles
The Lakers’ offensive collapse in the third quarter proved costly. Denver’s defense held Los Angeles to just 15 points in the period, compared to the Nuggets’ 37. This scoring drought marked the turning point, and the Lakers were unable to recover.
“You know, 15 points in the third quarter is not going to cut it against anybody,” Davis admitted. “And then our bench players came in at the end and made shots. But we only had, I think, 15 or 17 in the fourth as well. So we did a terrible job tonight in our offensive execution and making shots. And I think us not making shots kind of had us unorganized on the defensive end as well.”
