After falling 116-115 to the Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers now sit at 7-12. Despite a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, L.A. was unable to close out the contest. The Pacers rallied behind rookies Benedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, who splashed the game-winning three.
The Lakeshow struggled on both ends of the floor. They allowed the Pacers to score 32 points in the final frame and scored 22, shooting 8-22 from the field. While Anthony Davis scored 25 points on the night, he was only able to take two shots in the final quarter. Head coach Darvin Ham held himself accountable for the Lakers’ fourth-quarter woes.
“That falls on me,” Ham said per MSN. “That falls on me. I’ll take responsibility for that”.
Davis, who rounded out his 25 points with 13 rebounds and six assists, believed Ham was not the sole bearer of blame.
“It’s not just on him. It’s on us, too,” Davis said per MSN. “I mean, we got enough years in the League for the guys that were on the floor late game to execute. Obviously, he’s a coach, you take the blame. But it’s on us players to go out there and execute.
“We know what we’re doing. We’re talented enough and smart enough on the floor to win a basketball game like that — So it’s not on him.”
LeBron James recorded 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in his third game back from a groin injury. He agreed with Davis that there is more to the loss than Ham’s shortcomings.
“Everything has to go wrong in order for you to lose a game like that, and everything went wrong,” he said per ESPN.
The Lakers look to bounce back during their six-game road trip featuring match-ups against the Bucks, Cavaliers, and 76ers.
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