LOS ANGELES -- Anthony Davis weighed in on the Lakers following Friday night's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves (107-83). The outcome of the game was largely decided by a third quarter where his team was outscored 42-0.
Davis replied, "We sucked," when Davis was asked about the third. "No defense. Can't score. This is not only the third quarter. It's all three quarters we have played this season. We are slow and lackadaisical both offensively as well as defensively. We have to work together. Why? It's hard to say. But we got to do a better job."
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Lakers were outscored by 83 in the third quarter of this season. This includes the Minnesota mauling. This is the worst point differential of any team in any quarter this year.
"We have to choose who we want to become. Are you a champion team? Davis stated that we are not a championship team right now. We are not winning a championship with the way that we play. We had to improve and care more about our home wins. Wins in general. It was quite embarrassing.
Anthony Davis and the Lakers were outscored by an astounding 83 points by the Lakers in the third quarter of this season. This is the largest point differential for any team in any quarter. AP Photo/Jae Hong
L.A. took a five point lead into the halftime break, but shot only 4-for-21 from field (19%). In the third quarter, L.A. had six turnovers and was 1-for-13 from 3-point range (7.7%). The Wolves went 15-for-24 overall (62.5%), with only three turnovers. Karl-Anthony Towns was their leader, scoring 18-12 more points than the Lakers in quarter.
Russell Westbrook stated that "The inconsistency of L.A.'s third quarter problems is a problem" when asked about them.
L.A.'s disappointment was compounded by the fact that it ended a two-game winning streak, which was apparently triggered by a similar loss against the Portland Trail Blazers last Saturday. Last weekend, the Lakers stated that they had vowed to play with more energy and effort in the future.
Frank Vogel, Lakers coach, said that "Well there's no better motivator then a poor loss." "I think our guys and our coaching staff are mad. We'll get back on track and fix it. All of these things: focus, effort, and execution.
L.A. lost its fifth consecutive game without LeBron Jam, who was out with an abdominal strain. The Lakers were still at.500, but the Wolves won the match with a record of 3-7.
Wayne Ellington, a guard, said that "Oh, we definitely need to be winning games," after making his first start for the season. "We should still be winning games. LeBron is LeBron, that's obvious. However, there is no excuse not to perform like we did tonight. This team was no better than we."
Davis stated that the Lakers will be able to benefit from a Saturday film session in order to get on track for Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Davis stated, "What we cannot do is one, point at the finger." "You know, it was you. It was you. It was you. "This play was about you." We have to stay together. We will stay together. We also learned a lot from the film. Tomorrow's film will be a big opportunity for us to share our thoughts on these types of games. This is something we don't like feeling. We all lose, so it's inevitable that we will lose. However, it's important to do it right. Being able to beat a team. We must not beat ourselves.
"And those are the frustrating ones when we beat ourselves up."
The film will confirm what Westbrook saw during Friday's game, which was a disappointing 33rd birthday. L.A. was trailing by 33 points at one point.
Westbrook stated, "Sometimes it's easy to just let it go and move forward." Sometimes you get on everyone's nerves, and other times you let it all play out. Tomorrow we'll be watching film. We'll sort of feel the vibe. I don't think anyone in that locker room doesn't know what to do tonight. And we didn't.
"So, sometimes it's just easier to kind of...you already know. It doesn't hurt to try and beat a dead horse.
