For the second time in a week, Anthony Davis let the Los Angeles Lakers down at the free-throw line in the final seconds. Yet, LeBron James isn't about to lose confidence in his teammate.
Davis missed a free throw in the closing seconds of regulation in the Lakers' overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday that would have put his team up by one with 3.7 seconds remaining. It looked good but rimmed out. Philly won the extra period, 13-2.
“It hurts for sure,” Davis said postgame. “Especially when … you made the first. … Obviously I left it short but (my form) was the exact same, follow through, everything so…that was tough for sure. Put a lot of pressure on myself to make free throws, especially in that type of situation.”
Back in Los Angeles on Tuesday, AD — who finished with 37 points and 12 rebounds and made 11-of-15 FTAs — found himself in a position to clinch the game over the Boston Celtics. With 28 seconds to go and the Lakers up by two, Davis bricked both chances. Jayson Tatum tied the game on the ensuing possession, LeBron missed a buzzer-beating 3, and the Lakers ran out of gas in overtime. The Celtics escaped with a 122-118 win. It was Los Angeles' (11-16) fourth loss in five games.
Davis was especially distraught afterward. He took longer than usual to get to his postgame media, with those around the Lakers telling reporters that he needed extra time to gather himself in the locker room. By the time he was ready to answer questions, the dejection on his face was unmissable. He said he was unable to think about anything other than the free throws.
“Haven't thought about the rest of the game,” Anthony Davis said. “Make two free throws, go up four, different ballgame. To me, the rest doesn't matter. Had a chance to ice the game, missed both. … Missed one in Philly, missed both tonight. And both resulted in losses. I know there's more to it in a game … for me, you go back to the free throws. … That's where my head is right now.”
Davis said he's “pretty sure” he'll get over it by Friday when the Lakers host Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
A visibly dejected Anthony Davis laments his late missed free throws in recent losses to the Sixers and Bucks pic.twitter.com/WSs2rHXnaD
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) December 14, 2022
LeBron, who spoke before Davis, was quick to defend his teammate. Here was his response when asked about AD's postgame reaction.
“It just means he loves the game. If it was the other way around and he was in here smiling, then you'd be questioning what kind of teammate you got. You would. If you go up and miss two free throws in a big game like that and then you come into the locker room and the guy's laughing and joking, then you'd be questioning what type of teammate you got. I know who I'm rockin' with every single night. So, I'm absolutely OK with the way he's feeling…We got a couple days. Hopefully, he leaves it here today, but if not, take the car ride home and try not to take it in the house.
“But, if there's one guy on this ballclub that I love going to the free throw line in the clutch, it's AD. He's been on the other side a lot more times in our four years together closing out games on the free throw line than on the other side. So not worried about it one bit.”
“If you go up and miss 2 free throws in a big game like that then you come into the locker room & the guy's laughing and joking, you'd be questioning what type of teammate you got. I know who I'm rockin with every single night.”
LeBron on AD’s reaction to his missed free throws. pic.twitter.com/JLFYZjQkRm
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) December 14, 2022
Ironically, AD is having one of his best seasons at the charity stripe. He's averaging 8.0 attempts per game and making 82.2% — both among the best marks of his career. His aggression, physicality, and rim-attacking have been defined qualities of his MVP-caliber 2022-23 season.
On the bright side, the Lakers are a couple of missed free throws from their superstar away from beating two contenders. Or, you could argue — as Darvin Ham did — that the Lakers falling behind by double digits in both games is what truly cost them.
Either way, the losses highlight two undeniable truths about the 2022-23 Lakers: They have plenty of fight, and they aren't deep enough to overcome critical — or really any — mistakes from LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
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