Make no mistake, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a serious issue holding on to big leads this season. The two losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder were the biggest examples, but Monday’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets also saw them blow a double-digit fourth quarter lead, though they were able to still come out on top thanks largely to Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook.
Davis led the Lakers with another outstanding all-around performance with 32 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, five blocks and three steals while Carmelo hit 7-of-10 from 3-point range for 29 points and Westbrook recorded his second triple-double in a Lakers uniform.
Losing the lead was obviously not ideal, but Davis believes the Lakers’ fight back showed how much they wanted to win this game. “Yeah, they lost four in a row and they needed a win. But we needed a win most,” Davis said after the game.
“We wasn’t losing this game and like I said, we had a game under control and that whole spill of a couple of techs, delay of games, [LaMelo Ball] got fouled and he had two free throws and things like that kind of let them get back into the game, you know? So we just wanted to make sure that one, we learned from our mistakes of blowing leads, but also making sure that no matter what we do, we got to get the win tonight.”
Westbrook echoed the sentiments of Davis, about the Lakers sticking through what could have been another disastrous loss and coming out with a victory. “There was some turnovers but I thought we stuck with it, didn’t lose our closing the game out and then got the win.”
After the performance the Lakers put forth in Portland, they came out determined to get back in the win column and they were able to do that. There is still plenty of growth that needs to be done, especially when it comes to holding on to big leads, but on this night the Lakers showed resilience and would not be denied the victory that they came for.
Davis outlines illness issues through last two games
After leaving the Lakers’ loss in Portland after just seven minutes due to a stomach illness, Davis played 43 minutes in leading the Lakers to a win over Charlotte. But even though he was on the court, Davis still isn’t over his illness.
“Just a lot of sleep, a lot of fluids. Trying to eat a little bit,” Davis said. “The Portland game was rough, I threw up four times before the game and then once when I didn’t come back, just had no energy. Even did it one time tonight in the third [quarter].
“But just trying to find energy to go out there and compete with the guys. Little chewables that give you energy and Gatorade and all these things just to get me through the game. Put in 43 minutes out there, 43 minutes of work and I got 48 hours to replenish. So hopefully I feel better the next couple of days, and if not, we’ll do it again.”
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