Following Anthony Davis’ departure late in the first half after suffering an Achilles injury, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were unable to recover, falling to the Denver Nuggets, 122-105 on Sunday, which snapped their seven-game winning streak.
LeBron led the Lakers with a near triple-double of 22 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, but the defending champions could not overcome the loss of their All-Star big man as they fell to just their seventh loss this season.
After the game, LeBron expressed concern about Davis’ health as he is set to undergo an MRI on Monday after re-aggravating his sore Achilles. The four-time MVP added that while the Purple and Gold found it difficult to adjust against the Nuggets after Davis’ departure, they need to do better in their next game.
With that said, LeBron said it’s tough to adapt when a guy goes out in the middle of a game, but next game, "We will have an ability to be able to prepare for it … we’ll have a better game plan for what we need to do offensively and defensively in his absence."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 15, 2021
The Lakers have the NBA's best defense but will need to make adjustments on that end as Davis, the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year Award last season, will likely be out for some time. LeBron, who has emerged as an MVP candidate in his 18th season, will shoulder more of the load on offense, but also expects the rest of his teammates to step up while his co-star recovers.
LeBron on team's mentality with AD going down and potentially missing time: "It's always next man up."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 15, 2021
Against the Nuggets, Kyle Kuzma scored 19 points off the bench, making eight of 12 shots, while Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker finished with 11 and 10 markers, respectively. The Lakers will need a lot of from LeBron’s teammates, including Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope if they are to keep winning even in the absence of Anthony Davis.
LeBron James and company battle the Minnesota Timberwolves in their next game on Tuesday, before facing the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat in an NBA Finals rematch later this week.
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