Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis returned after a one-game absence against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. After what happened in the final seconds of the game, he probably wishes he had one more day.
Davis was involved in three critical errors that resulted in the Lakers losing the contest 111–110. The first mistake came with seven seconds to play. With the Mavericks trailing by four points, Davis fouled Maxi Kleber on a 3-point attempt. Kleber hit all three free throws, making it a one-score game.
On the Lakers’ next possession, Davis was fouled and sent to the free-throw line. He only made one of those shots, putting the Lakers up by two points with just over six seconds to play.
Then, it happened.
Kleber made a 3-pointer with less than a second on the clock to give the Mavericks the win. Davis’ missed free throw came back to haunt him, as Kleber would have sent the game to overtime if Davis had hit both free throws. To make matters worse, Davis was not able to reach Kleber in time to contest the game-winning shot.
after the competition, Davis took responsibility for the loss, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I already came in and told them that last play was my fault,” said Davis, who has taken blame twice in the Lakers’ last four games, the second loss coming in Houston when he had to sit out because from a long leg injury.
It’s easy to shoulder the loss on Davis after those three key mistakes, but he put up strong numbers overall. Davis went 9-for-14 from the field, finishing the night with 26 points and 10 rebounds. His 26 points led the Lakers.
Los Angeles needed Davis to carry a large load with LeBron James due to a foot injury. Due to this issue, James could not play in the last 10 matches of the team. James is expected to be re-evaluated soon, but there are already rumors that he “not close“To return.
The Lakers could use him. The team sits at 34–37, good for 10th place in the Western Conference.