Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) controls the ball against Suns forward Jae Crowder during Game 1 on Sunday. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Davis takes responsibility for Lakers’ Game 1 loss

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 5/23/21

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals 99-90 on Sunday, largely because Anthony Davis was an afterthought.

The Phoenix Suns keyed in on Davis after the forward scored 42 points in the teams’ last regular-season meeting two weeks ago, and they essentially took Davis out of the game Sunday. The big man went just 5-of-16 from the field, holding him to 13 points and seven rebounds. Davis was a team-worst -18 when on the court as well.

Davis owned up to his brutal performance after the loss, striking a note of confidence that he would improve while taking responsibility for Sunday’s defeat.

Anthony Davis: “There’s no way we’re winning a game, let alone the series, with the way I played today. It’s on me”

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 23, 2021

Davis was the worst performer, but none of the Lakers played particularly well on Sunday. LeBron James led Los Angeles in scoring with a modest 18 points, and the Lakers went just 7-for-26 from three as the Suns locked down the perimeter.

The Lakers looked out of sync on Sunday, and adjustments will be necessary. It certainly gave some backing to this player’s theory that ducking the team was the wrong move ahead of the playoffs.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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