Lakers’ Anthony Davis Addresses His Poor Game 2 Showing vs. Nuggets

Getty Lakers' Anthony Davis shoots over Nuggets' Nikola Jokic

Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis didn’t play well against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on May 18 at Ball Arena.

The eight-time All-Star finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four turnovers while shooting 4-of-15 from the field, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.

During his postgame press conference with Lakers reporters, Davis was asked to talk about his poor Game 2 showing.

“I got the same looks (as Game 1). A lot of them were just short tonight,” Davis said. “I’ll be better.”

The Lakers are down 2-0 to the Nuggets in the conference finals. Game 3 of this series is on May 20 at Crypto.com Arena, where the purple and gold are undefeated in the 2023 playoffs.

Anthony Davis: I Liked All the Looks I Got

Davis told reporters that he liked all of his shot attempts in Game 2. The Chicago native just wasn’t able to get many of them to fall. Davis, 30, had a plus-minus of -10.

“Liked all the looks I got today,” Davis said. “Just a lot of them were short. I’m gonna continue to shoot those shots. I gotta be better, more efficient, to help the team win. So I’ll be better.”

Davis dropped 40 points in Game 1 while shooting 14-of-23 from the floor and 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. The Lakers will need AD to have a stellar outing in Game 3 to win against a tough Nuggets team that is playing with a lot of confidence.

Denver has won twice on the road in the 2023 playoffs. Any team with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and star point guard Jamal Murray on it can win in a hostile environment. The Lakers have to punch the Nuggets first in Game 3 and keep their foot on the gas for 48 minutes.

Will LeBron James Play in Game 3?

Lakers small forward LeBron James sprained his left ankle in Game 2. However, the four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP will play in Game 3.

“I think I stepped on somebody’s foot,” James said. “I think it was maybe Aaron Gordon or one of the guys underneath the basket. But I’ll be fine.”

James, 38, finished Game 2 with 22 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists and three turnovers in 40 minutes while shooting 9-of-19 overall, 0-of-6 from 3 and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. The 19-time All-Star and four-time champion is shooting 0-of-10 from 3-point land in the conference finals.

James and Davis are two of the best players in NBA history. Both guys have to be on top of their games in Game 3. Otherwise, the Nuggets will come into Los Angeles and take a commanding 3-0 lead. No team in NBA history has erased a 3-0 series deficit in the playoffs.

“Proud of our guys,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said after Game 2. “They bounced back. We addressed a lot of the things that we said we were going to try to do better. Still got to be better in transition D. But overall, the energy was there. The effort was there. The urgency was there. We just caught a bad stretch.”