The Los Angeles Lakers snatched defeat right from the jaws of victory on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers. After yet another masterful game from Anthony Davis, the purple and gold lost via a buzzer-beating triple from rookie Andrew Nembhard.
There was a lot of blame worth throwing around after the Lakers piled on and eventually squandered a 17-point advantage in that final frame. Head coach Darvin Ham willingly took the brunt of it speaking to reporters after the game.
“That falls on me,” said Ham when asked about the discombobulated play that the Lakers played in the fourth quarter. “That falls on me. I'll take responsibility for that.”
The Lakers played sloppy and probably had over a dozen mental lapses on both ends of the floor that could have easily closed the door on the Pacers comeback. That's where a coach's timely timeout and stern voice to stem the tide prove to be most valuable.
Anthony Davis came to the defense of his coach after hearing him take the fall. AD looked like the team's best player again with a game-high 25 points. He was largely zoned out of the offensive attack during crunch time, failing to take a recorded shot in the game's final 4:33.
“It's not just on him. It's on us too,” Anthony Davis emphasized. “I mean, we got enough years in the league for the guys that were on the floor late game to execute. Obviously, he's a coach, you take the blame. But it's on us players to go out there and execute.
“We know what we're doing,” Davis continued. “We're talented enough and smart enough on the floor to win a basketball game like that. … So it's not on him.”
For a Lakers squad inching its way back into the playoff picture, a single win could be the difference later into the season.
Follow Us
Subscribe