Anthony Davis Takes Shot at Darvin Ham After Game 2 Loss
By Cem Yolbulan
The Los Angeles Lakers are facing a situation they are unfortunately too familiar for them at this point: down 2-0 against the Denver Nuggets, heading home for a crucial Game 3. Just like last season's Western Conference Finals, the Lakers couldn't take care of business in Denver despite leading by double digits in both games so far. The late-game execution failures by the Lakers, combined with the clutch brilliance of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, pushed the Lakers' back against the wall once again.
There is certainly plenty of blame to go around after two straight deflating losses. The referees deserve part of the blame and LeBron James chose to unleash his frustration about them after the game. Anthony Davis, on the other hand, chose to criticize the team in a veiled shot at head coach Darvin Ham.
Lakers News: Anthony Davis Criticizes Darvin Ham's Play-Calling
Anthony Davis: “We have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 23, 2024
Anthony Davis, who finished the game with 32 points and 11 rebounds, said they "don't know what [the Lakers] are doing on both ends of the floor."
He has a point. After building a 20-point lead in the third quarter, the Lakers stopped executing. The offense came to a halt, the pace slowed down, and it turned into isolation ball.
LA ran 8 plays in a row to start Q3 and got 13 points from that organized offense. 1.63 points per possession. 1.57 expected PPP.
— Cranjis McBasketball (@Tim_NBA) April 23, 2024
8 of the next 10 plays they freelanced. 7 of those 8 plays were turnovers or heavily contested shots. They scored once total. 0.20 PPP. 0.54 ePPP. https://t.co/oU7onh8lsa
The Lakers ended up scoring 40 points in the second half against the Nuggets on Monday night. It's hard to blame individual performances as both Anthony Davis and LeBron James played excellent games, combining for 58 points on 23/38 shooting from the field.
It is clear that play-calling needs to get better for the Lakers. And that starts with Darvin Ham. All the reporting inside the organization suggests that Ham's job is secure going forward. However, his star players are already complaining, and if the Lakers get swept again by Denver, it will be difficult to justify Ham staying on.
The Lakers currently have +920 odds to win the series against the Nuggets, implying a 9.8% chance. If you like the Lakers' chances despite Darvin Ham, head over to FanDuel Sportsbook, claim your sign-up offer of $150 in bonus bets, and get in on the action.
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