Getty Anthony Davis and the Lakers lost to the Clippers.
Anthony Davis had a look of utter shock after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Los Angeles Clippers at the buzzer. The eight-time All-Star, who put up 30 points and 17 rebounds in 37 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back, couldn’t believe his potential game-winner didn’t go in.
Davis’ floater went all the way in the basket but came out at the end. The Chicago native was so dejected his shot didn’t go in that he called out the “basketball gods” during his postgame media session.
Davis: ‘The Basketball Gods Can’t Do That to Me, Man’
Davis watched his possible game-winner over and over again after the Lakers-Clippers game. The one-time champion was essentially heartbroken that his shot went in and out.
“I actually paused it and said the basketball gods can’t do that to me, man,” Davis said, via Corey Hansford of LakersNation.com. “The ball is in. The ball is in, and then the ball is out. Tough. Tough play. This is definitely gonna weigh on me, I’m glad we’ve got an off day because it’s definitely gonna weigh on me a little bit. Especially because it’s a rivalry but not a rivalry just going back to when I first got here and we always want to beat these guys. I think they’re a half a game ahead of us too in the standings, so that’s another frustrating thing. But we can’t ask for a better game and now we get ready for New York.”
You rarely see an NBA player talk about the “basketball gods” in this fashion. That’s how stunned Davis was to see his floater go in and out. The loss dropped the Lakers to 25-28 on the season. They are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings and continue to be one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
Los Angeles is giving up 112.2 points per game, which is 27th in the NBA. The team is not only playing without superstar LeBron James, but Carmelo Anthony is also on the shelf now after injuring his hamstring against the Clippers. The Lakers have dealt with a lot of adversity this season, but Davis is aware that everyone in the league is going through difficult times due to COVID-19 and injuries.
AD: ‘No One Feels Sorry for Us’
Davis has been in the NBA since 2012. He knows just about every team goes through trials and tribulations every campaign, which is why he told reporters “no one feels sorry” for the Lakers.
“Obviously, there’s no moral victories and no one feels sorry for us,” Davis said. “We got to find a way, keep pushing. We got another tough game, actually these next like four for us are gonna be tough games. So we just got to keep pushing and try to get all four of these.”
Davis and the Lakers are back in action on February 5 versus the New York Knicks. The Knicks are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 24-28. They have struggled mightily this season, just like Los Angeles.
With that said, it will be fascinating to see who wins between the Lakers and Knicks.