THE Lakers‘ loss to the Sacramento Kings was frustrating. It secured a season sweep by the Kings, extended the losing streak against Sacramento to five, and Anthony Davis once again struggled against an elite big.
Davis finished the night with 22 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, while his counterpart Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double of 17 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. The rebounding numbers are the most shocking because Davis is usually dominant on the glass, but Sabonis clearly takes it away.
After the match, Darvin Ham discussed Davis’ play against Sabonis.
“I don’t want to put Sabonis down,” Ham said. “He’s a hell of a player. But I saw (AD) take these shots several times. Yes, he’s physical, but you have bad shooting nights, just like (Russell) wasn’t hitting the targets he usually hits. It wasn’t there tonight. (Sabonis) is a hell of a player but I also know who I’m coaching. This guy is also a heck of a player, a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’ll bounce back, I’m sure.
Basketball is a team game, so it’s more than a one-on-one scenario, but Sabonis has far outplayed him and Davis has never beaten Sabonis in his career, It is not a coincidence.
In the locker room after the loss, Davis spoke about the challenges of competing against Sabonis.
“He’s a physical player,” Davis said. “I try to match his physique, make him take a lot of tough shots. I think he just hurt us on the glass. Not defensively, we missed a lot of shots and he’s the only big (for Sacramento) so he’s going to get a lot of defensive rebounds. Offensively, that’s where we try to limit that. But he’s an All-Star, he’s been an All-Star. He’s a good player.
Sure, the missed shots didn’t help, but they didn’t stop the Kings from getting what they wanted inside or deep. Sabonis shot 60 percent from the field and the Kings converted 43 percent of their 3-point attempts.
It’s competition and the Kings have always gotten the better of the Lakers even when their best players are willing to understand the context and consequences of losing the game.
The solution is difficult. The Lakers have lost five straight to the Kings and nine straight to the Nuggets. What do the two teams have in common? Dominant and talented players at the winger position.
The Lakers also can’t overachieve, even for one night, and that’s why they haven’t been able to beat these teams this season. Until Davis rises to the challenge, the Lakers invest in a quality big or star guard, or perhaps get reinforcements like Gabe Vincent And Jared Vanderbilt back, they’re unlikely to win more than they lose against teams of this makeup.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
