Anthony Davis has been the anchor of the Los Angeles Lakers, especially in their defense. But he could not save his team from the attack of the Nuggets. The Lakers were looking forward to winning the series’ first game like their previous two openers. They beat the second-seed Grizzlies and the defending champions in a dominating style. The results of both series were the same, 4-2 in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers. But they could not have a hat trick of winning the series openers.
The purple and the gold army got thrashed by Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Western Conference finals. Abd Anthony Davis took full responsibility for the team’s poor defensive display. He has led the Lakers so well since the absence of LeBron James due to a tendon injury in late February. But AD has also been criticized throughout the season for his inconsistency. However, the LA side can no longer afford mistakes from their star players like LeBron and Davis. They need both of their best players to show them the way forward. However, the first thing they need to figure out is a way to stop the Nikola Jokic-Jamal Murray duo in Game 2.
AD Blames Himself For The Game 1 Debacle Against Nuggets
The Lakers’ defense, with Anthony Davis in the leading role, then Jared Vanderbilt, Dennis Schroder, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James, must chalk out a plan with coach Darvin Ham. Recently, AD spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin about how and what went wrong in the first game. He was clear as ice when he acknowledged, “That’s the reason why I get big bucks. It is my job to figure out how to win matches for the team.” The whole team seems to be building strategies to strengthen the defense. And this time, the LA side will hope to get a win on the road at the beginning of the series. In Game 1, it was visible that AD was facing trouble guarding the 6’11 star of the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic.
Although, it is better for the Lakers if Rui Hachimura guards Nikola Jokic. In the fourth quarter, Nikola could not score a point, as the Japanese did a spectacular job defending him. There are fans who think Rui should get a place in the starting lineup. Maybe that is not such a bad idea. Otherwise, he generally comes off the bench. On the other hand, AD did not have a bad game himself. He scored 40 points in Game 1 but failed to stop the Joker, who went on to score a triple-double. The Nugget ace scored 34 points, grabbed 21 rebounds, and contributed more with 14 assists.
Anthony Davis Needs To Save The Lakers Again
Seemingly, the Lakers made a comeback in the second half, reducing the gap to three points. However, the 20 points gap the Nuggets earned before halftime turned out to be a little too much. In the end, the Lakers lost the game 126-132.
The squad had a tough season which had a dramatic turnaround. After getting down 2-10 at the start of the season, Anthony Davis led the side to make the postseason miraculously. Now when the chips are down again, the team is looking up to AD to show them the way to progress from here.
