Anthony Davis spoke to the media for the first time on Thursday night since bizarrely sulking on the Los Angeles Lakers' bench when his good pal LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record — a clip that went viral and fueled two days of speculation ahead of a busy Lakers trade deadline.

Davis insisted that his non-reaction to one of the most historic moments in NBA history was a result of the Lakers' struggling with the Oklahoma City Thunder in an important game. The Lakers lost 133-130 to a team they're pursuing in the standings. AD — who was lethargic throughout the evening, on the floor and in his postgame presser — produced 13 points on nine field goal attempts in his worst game of the season. (AD called LeBron twice to personally apologize, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.)

Davis did not conduct a press conference after Thursday's Lakers loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Instead, he solemnly answered questions at his locker.

“Come on, now. Y'all know me and Bron's relationship. It was nothing. It was about the game. We were losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game we needed. I was pissed off that we were losing. It's that simple. Nothing that has to with Bron. He knows that. Everybody else outside looking in, that's their opinion. But, I was pissed off that we were losing the game.”

Much of the speculation around Davis' concerning body language came on the heels of Kevin Durant trade winds. The idea of an AD-for-KD swap has been in the ether for months.

LeBron consoled Davis in the fourth quarter of the OKC loss.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Nuggets Lakers prediction

Jake Faigus ·

Former NBA player Kevin Garnett, Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James, Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards, Phoenix Suns player Kevin Durant, and former NBA player Paul Pierce

Preston Byers ·

Lakers' LeBron James, Anthony Davis Rui Hachimura with Nuggets' Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray

Jack Winter ·

Darvin Ham briefly addressed the situation prior to the Milwaukee matchup.

“I'll just say that what is being reported is absolutely not the case. And I'll just leave it there.”

Davis had 23 points and 16 rebounds in the Lakers' 116-105 loss to the Bucks, though he did not play with his standard aggression and never imposed his will on the game. He shot 9-of-22 from the field, committed five turnovers and five fouls, and failed to record a block as Giannis Antetokounmpo (38 points) pummeled Los Angeles inside. It was not good enough on a night in which LeBron sat out and only nine Lakers were available.

The Lakers (25-31) have lost three games in a row.