Anthony Davis missed too many shots, so did D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers missed their opportunity to take a 2-0 series lead with Ja Morant sidelined for the Grizzlies.
— Facing a Grizzlies team missing its superstar in Ja Morant, with a chance to go up 2-0 in their first-round series, Anthony Davis piled up too many missed shots in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 103-93 loss on Wednesday.
«Obviously, I can be better,» Davis said after failing to connect on 10 of his 14 shot attempts and finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in 38 minutes. «Can’t have a night like I had tonight and expect us to win.»
It was a rough outing for Davis, from his 1-for-9 start from the floor in the first half, to the gash he suffered below his right brow from an elbow during a jump ball at the center circle, to the stellar play by the big man lined up against him. Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman had 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting and 13 rebounds — more points than he has scored in any game (regular season or playoffs) in his three-year career.
«Just forcing tough catches, denying him, forcing him off his spot and then crowding the paint and tilting behind him,» Lakers coach Darvin Ham said when asked to explain what Memphis did in holding Davis to about half of his regular-season 25.9 points per game average.
While Davis took the onus for the outcome, he didn’t credit his clanks to the Grizzlies’ defense.
