The Los Angeles Lakers are just a different team without Anthony Davis. LeBron James admitted as much after they suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Davis had to leave the game after the first quarter following the eye injury he sustained during the period. Without AD, the Warriors outscored the Lakers and went on to secure the 128-121 win.
Anthony Davis’ Exit Allows Golden State Warriors To Defeat Los Angeles Lakers
With the help of Davis, the Lakers took a 36-30 lead in the first quarter. However, after he left due to the left eye injury he sustained in the opening frame when he was elbowed to the face by Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Purple and Gold lost their edge and eventually succumbed to the Dubs.
The Warriors outscored the Lakers’ 98-85 without Davis, with Stephen Curry dropping 31 points on them. The Golden State sharpshooter was scoreless in the first quarter but absolutely dominated as LA lost its defensive anchor.
James took over for the Lakers and tallied 40 points along with eight rebounds and nine assists. However, his efforts were not enough to counter what the Warriors threw at them. Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga combined for 49 points to propel the Dubs to victory, while only D’Angelo Russell surpassed the 20-point mark for LA with 23.
While Jaxson Hayes tried hard to fill the hole that AD left at center, he is simply no Davis. The 31-year-old is one of the best defenders in the league, and so it’s hard or even near-impossible to replace him.
LeBron James’ True Feelings on Anthony Davis’ Injury
After the game, LeBron James shared how difficult it was for them to adjust without Anthony Davis. The big man has been pretty durable all season long and has actually played in 60-plus games now for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.
And so when Davis fell to injury, the Lakers that have been so used with him fell into chaos.
“When you’ve been preparing for a couple of days with our prep and you lose a key component to your team in one quarter, we tried to pick it up, but, obviously, there’s some things we can’t do without AD,” James said of Davis’ injury and exit against the Golden State Warriors, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
D’Angelo Russell had similar sentiments, saying: “We’re not accustomed to playing without [Davis]. He’s played almost every game this year, right? So that’s something that is unfamiliar for us. But it’s no excuse. Jaxson played his ass off. Everybody else that came in stepped up to the plate. But that’s a tough team, well-coached team. So it’s not going to be easy.”
LeBron and Russell’s comments certainly speak volumes of Davis’ massive impact on the Lakers. It’s unknown if Davis will be able to suit up on Monday when they return to action against the Atlanta Hawks. But sure enough, James and the rest of the team are praying for his quick recovery.
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