The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a surprise loss on Tuesday, as the Portland Trail Blazers handed them a Game 1 defeat in their first-round matchup. After the game, Lakers superstar Anthony Davis was asked to comment about the disappointing loss, and the 27-year-old could not help but discuss the significance of losing home-court advantage in the bubble.

According to Davis, one of the main reasons why his team tried to struggle is due to the fact that they were not playing in front of a capacity crowd.

To be fair to Davis, he made it abundantly clear that they lost this game because of their own shortcomings. He does not seem to be making excuses here, but merely pointing out the challenge of playing in crowdless arenas.

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Then again, the same can be said about the Blazers. It's not as if Portland was playing in front of their home fans, but they were still able to muster up enough energy to upset the first-seeded Lakers.

Perhaps this is what Davis wants emphasize here. The fact that they are playing in an isolated venue without home fans absolutely negates the so-called home-court advantage. That being the case, a Game 1 loss for the “home team” in this instance wouldn't be as bad as losing it in their own home arena.

Davis finished the loss with a team-high 28 points (on 8-of-24 shooting), 11 rebounds, an assist, two steals, two blocks, and just one turnover in 39 minutes of action. While he does have a valid point in his statement above, what is clear is that the Lakers will have to win Game 2 on Thursday. Another defeat might just lead to a catastrophic end to their otherwise impressive campaign.