Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers were a bit lackluster in what was their worst loss of the season so far, blowing a 19-point lead to the Golden State Warriors. While it hardly presents time for panic, the loss came at an inopportune time, as the Lakers now begin a seven-game road trip.
It starts with the Milwaukee Bucks, who currently are the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed at 9-5, and are coming off of a close loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Milwaukee and L.A. presumably will have plenty of motivation, not only looking to get back in the win column but for a matchup that has widely been billed as a measuring stick.
Davis — who has been among the most vocal of the Lakers’ mantra out of never wanting losing back-to-back games — said the team has put extra pressure on themselves to win against the Bucks after losing to the Warriors.
“We know we’re a good team,” Davis said. “We know teams are going to come out and play their best against us, but the way we lost we don’t like. Obviously we’ve got to look back at the film and see where we can be better, but we’ve always bounced back.
“We don’t like losing two in a row, so our next game, we’re going to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to win that game. Nobody in that locker room likes to lose. It’s a tough one. It’s one that we for sure should have won, so this one hurts a little bit more. We’ll watch the film when we get back together, try to figure out how to get better and get ready for Milwaukee.”
L.A. will head into the game with two days off to watch film and hit the reset button before they play one of the league’s premier teams.
If the Lakers can’t get a win on Thursday, they will drop back-to-back games for the first time this season and likely lose their spot as the league’s best record.
Davis ready to play center
Despite the shortened offseason, Davis said he is ready to play more center if the team needs him to do so.
“I’m ready to do whatever the team wants,” Davis recently said. “We’ve got Trezz and Marc who can play the 5, but there’s going to be games when I have to. Me and Coach talked about it, so I’m prepared to do that.
“We’ve got to be smart about when I do it, but it’s always a conversation. [Vogel] has a great thing of talking to his players and making sure we’re always on the same page. I may come to him and say, ‘Coach, let me play the 5 tonight. It’s a great matchup for me.’
“We’d have a conversation about it and see where it goes.”
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