Lakers News: Anthony Davis' Abysmal Second Half Performance Vs Denver Marks Unfortunate Personal History

Another frustrating game from Davis...

The Los Angeles Lakers opened their new season with a loss to a familiar opponent, the Denver Nuggets. After being swept out of the playoffs by Denver in the Western Conference Finals, many believed that this would be a fun matchup to open the new year.

The game didn’t disappoint, as the two teams put on a show. But LA simply couldn’t make the big play when they needed it most, which leaves them with a similar feeling as they had a few months ago.

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Star Anthony Davis was great in the first half of the game, dropping 17 points. He was aggressive and helped set the tone for the game. But once again, a frustrating theme occurred for Davis, and he was held scoreless in the second half.

He went 0-6 from the field in the second half, marking the worst shooting performance in a half since joining the Lakers. 

AD was 0-6 in the second half, his worst shooting half as a Laker. pic.twitter.com/HiPTZ6ujMT

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 25, 2023

For the Lakers to have any shot of winning the NBA title this season, this can't happen from Davis. They need him to consistently look like the player that he was in the first half of the game, and unfortunately tonight, he couldn't do that.

It has become a common theme from Davis over the years where he lacks the aggressiveness as games go on, and it has come back to hurt LA. This was supposed to be the year that Davis took the torch from co-stat LeBron James, but so far, it's more of the same. 

Here's what Nikola Jokic had to say about slowing down AD in the second half:

Nikola Jokic on holding Anthony Davis to 0 second-half points: "AD's a really talented player. He's a lob threat. He can play in the pocket. He can play off the dribble. He can post up...It's hard when you play one against two. I've got to thank my teammates."

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) October 25, 2023

After signing his massive extension this offseason, Davis needs to find a way to live up to the deal. The fate of the Lakers season is in his hands, and unless he can step up, LA will fall short of their goals once again.

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