Anthony Davis blames himself as Lakers fail to reach .500 against Knicks

Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers were so close to breaking even on the season. At 33-34, all they had to do was beat a New York Knicks team without its star player, Jalen Brunson, and the Lake Show would have been at .500 and riding a four-game winning streak.

They were almost there, too, but the Knicks outscored LA, 27-22, in the fourth quarter to win, 112-108, and the Lakers fell back down to 33-35 on the season and 18-16 at home.

Despite putting up 17 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block, Davis put the loss on his shoulders after the game.

"I played terrible. Couldn't find my shot: free throws, layups, everything. The guys did their job. I didn't do my job tonight," Davis said, per ESPN.

In a sense, Davis is right to criticize himself. He filled up the stat sheet but he was inefficient in the game. His 17 points came on just 8-of-18 shooting from the field and he was 1-of-5 from the charity stripe. Notably, he made only one of the four shots he took in the fourth quarter when New York was surging.

"I just missed a lot of shots," he explained of his performance. "I don't think they did anything special."

Davis is the lynch pin for this Lakers team as LeBron James is sidelined with a tendon injury. If Davis plays well, the Lakers have a shot at the play-in. If he can't lead this team without James on the court, though, there's a chance the Lakers are passed up.

At the time of this writing, the Lakers are the West's 11th seed. The play-in will feature seeds seven through 10. 

LA has 14 games left to play, and James' injury will be re-evaluated in about a week and a half. 

It's the Davis show for now, and one gets the sense that he's feeling the pressure.