Anthony Davis well aware that his mistakes in the “money time” have cost dearly

Who would have imagined that the very end of the meeting between Lakers and Mavs would come down to a duel between Anthony Davis and… Maxi Kleber? And that, more improbably still, this duel was going to turn in favor of the second?

But “AD” made several mistakes in the final seconds. His team leading by four points (109-105), he first made the mistake of coming out too frankly on the German’s 3-point attempt. Three free throws from the latter later (109-108), the Lakers player was in turn sent to the penalty line.

Anthony Davis then only converted one out of two attempts (110-108). As he recalls, disappointedreturning his two shots, he would have condemned the Mavs not to be able to play the win on the final possession, only paving the way for a possible extension.

With seven seconds remaining, the visitors had plenty of time to afford this shot. Except that it did not come from the expected liberator, Kyrie Irving (38 points). ” I was reading the action (from Irving) knowing he was probably going to take the last shot. He moved but did not fire. When he lifted the ball, it drew me towards the circle. I was going to look for the rebound. I thought he was shooting. He made a pass to Kleber. He succeeded in shooting “, Details “AD”, arrived late on the Mav.

” He had started to set us on fire in the final, it was our decision to take him together. We made it difficult for him but he found the player open and we weren’t quick enough. AD spent his last minute raising his arms, challenging… “, notes all the same Darvin Ham, who had the feeling of reliving the end of the match against the Pacers, last November, ended on a winning shot signed Andrew Nembhard.

too much waste

” I found that we had sometimes lacked discipline with faults, very bad faults committed on shooters. We did the job we wanted in terms of free throws. We got 31 but we have to put more than 19. Putting our free throws, we probably wouldn’t have this conversation “, adds the technician, indirectly pointing out the blunders of his interior.

Anthony Davis, who had already taken the blame for the loss to the Knicks a few days earlier, told his teammates that last possession against the Mavs was ” [s]at fault “. Author of 26 points and 10 rebounds, he speaks of a loss difficult to swallow and of a frustration linked to the missed opportunity to climb in the standings. Close to Los Angeles players, Warriors, Wolves, Pelicans and Blazers all lost tonight.

” AD is our leader. He is our current best player, it shows that he takes responsibility as such. It’s something important for the continuity of the team and to have confidence in each other, and we obviously have confidence in AD. It was just a moment. It’s obviously not just AD’s doing, but his taking responsibility, rather than pointing fingers, is something important in terms of chemistry going forward. “, concludes Wenyen Gabriel.