Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers suffered their first loss on Monday against the Suns, dropping to 3-1 on the season. It was a close game that could have gone either way. The Lakers had plenty to take away from that contest, but only themselves to blame.
After all, they blew an 18-point first-quarter lead because of a dismal performance in the second, during which they put up only 14 points. The game flipped there as the Suns picked up the momentum and kept at it throughout the night, despite LA coming back late in the third to take a seven-point lead.
Davis sounded optimistic after the loss and laid realistic goals for LA, suggesting an 82-0 season was always out of reach. However, he had one ambitious target, similar to what LeBron James and Co. set during their 2020 title run.
“Nobody in the history has gone 82-0,” Anthony Davis said (via Lakersnation’s Daniel Starkland).
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“We don’t expect to lose, but we’re realists and realistically we were probably gonna lose a game. Obviously, we didn’t want to start off with the first loss on this trip, but I’m happy and I like the way guys competed, we played extremely hard.”
Davis said the Lakers will look to bounce back against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have started the season 4-0. He outlined the target he has in mind for LA, saying:
“We’re trying not to lose two in a row. That’s gonna be a challenge for us all year, not to lose two in a row.”
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The Lakers gave themselves this challenge during their 2020 NBA championship run. They began the season with a bang that year and didn’t lose consecutive games until mid-December, following a 24-3 run. The Lakers lost four games in a row in that span.
They recovered just as well, and the next time they lost consecutive games came way later in the ‘Orlando Bubble’ in August, where they lost three in a row in their final five games of the year.
Anthony Davis is outplaying his 2020 NBA championship season version
Anthony Davis had a stellar start to the 2024-25 NBA season. He’s outplaying his 2019-20 self when the Lakers won the championship. JJ Redick’s system has amplified Davis’ usage on both ends, especially on offense.
In four games, the All-Star center has bagged a league-high 32.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals. He’s top-seven in rebounding and top-five in blocks. Davis is also shooting at 55.0% from the floor.
Anthony Davis has been decisive for LA and the key reason behind their impressive 3-1 start while playing playoff-caliber opponents. He’s on pace to be in the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year conversations.