The Los Angeles Lakers will go as far as Anthony Davis can take them, so it’s no surprise they came out on the losing end of Game 2 against the Memphis Grizzlies when he struggled.
Unlike Game 1, Davis was unable to get much going offensively as he finished with 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting. It was a miserable night for Davis, who got Memphis’ full attention defensively, though he later said he still liked his shot selection.
The star big man is used to being the focal point of opposing gameplans and Darvin Ham explained how the Grizzlies were able to bother him so much, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“From my vantage point initially just forcing tough catches, denying him, forcing him off his spot, and then crowding the paint and tilting behind him flooding the backside. Again, the shot clock is steady dwindling and you have to go find a way. He’s doing his job. We tell our guys, whenever you drive the ball and you collapse you have two or three defenders around you or you try to post up you have two, three defenders around you now you gotta go to the second or third option. Swing it quick and just play a little faster.
“Again, my hat’s off to them. Taylor and his staff they’re really excellent coaches and they bumped up their physicality, bumped up their crowds and defensively, taking away the paint and they came away with the win. So again, time to go back to L.A. and put our best foot forward and defend our home court.”
The physicality level was definitely a couple of notches up from Game 1 as the Grizzlies were intent on trying to make Davis as uncomfortable as possible. The officials seemed to allow more contact than usual go which in turn led to some frustration for Davis and the rest of the Lakers roster.
The playoffs are all about adjustments, though, so Ham and his staff will need to devise ways to eliminate some of Memphis’ help options and get Davis the ball in better spots. If they’re able to do that, then the purple and gold should be in good shape.
Rui Hachimura believes Lakers must match Grizzlies’ energy and focus on defense
Memphis came out playing like their backs were up against it, and Los Angeles didn’t seem ready for their intensity. Rui Hachimura had a good offensive night but acknowledged he and the team need to match the Grizzlies’ energy and focus on the defensive end in Game 3.
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