Anthony Davis chalks up the loss to Damian Lillard and the Blazers to ‘mental mistakes’ by him and the Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis reveals the two things that cost them the crucial game against the Portland Trailblazers

The Los Angeles Lakers lost what was potentially one of the most important games of the regular season for them last night. The Blazers and the Lakers both entered the game tied for the 6th spot in the West. The game was supposed to serve as a tiebreaker for the spot and the season series as well. The Blazers took on the short-handed defending champions and emerged victorious.

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Damian Lillard led the charge with his game-high 38 points and 7 assists. CJ McCollum added 21 points and Norman Powell scored 19 points of his own. For the Lakers, Anthony Davis led the way with his team-high 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Anthony Davis highlights two key ‘mistakes’

Despite the loss to the Blazers, there was a bright shining light for the defending champions. Anthony Davis, who hasn’t looked like his dominating self, gave us glimpses of the same. In the clutch time, Davis came up with two huge blocks, as well as was seen shooting better than he has all season. Davis says he’s feeling better and more like himself, so that’s a sign of relief for the Lakers fans.

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After the game AD pointed out two key ‘mistakes’ which cost them the game. The first one was Kyle Kuzma taking a three in the final minute, despite being open for a layup/dunk. Kuzma had been cold from the field all night. That one miss stopped the Lakers from getting the game to a single possession. The second one was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso fouling Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in the final minute of the game.

The Lakers now have Suns, Knicks, Rockets, Pelicans, and Pacers as their final five games. If they can manage to win big there, they can avoid the play-in games. There are a lot of variables to be taken in, but the defending champions would look to get out of the 7th seed.