It was supposed to be the night of purple and gold. Things didn’t go the way the odds claimed. But LeBron James was still a winner on the court. His cup of records runneth over once more in the game against Sacramento. Yet Anthony Davis is getting flak for his role in the loss. While King James hit the 108th milestone in his triple-double record, it couldn’t tide the Los Angeles Lakers over. By most accounts, this game was supposed to go the other way.
AD is facing the brunt of it. His inconsistency curse struck once more in this game and fans aren’t letting him live it down.
A game of contradictions for Lakers stars
The Lakers lost to the Sacramento Kings 110-125 in the biggest upset so far. LeBron James carried the team and his own individual records. After tying with Jason Kidd in April, he’s surpassed the Mavs star with his triple-doubles record for the fifth-most in the all-time list.
He also outdid Tim Duncan and Karl Malone for the oldest player on this list. He went 28-11-10, an impressive feat in his 21st season.
Yet, the Kings dominated against every analyst’s prediction. In their last matchup, the Kings had to go into overtime to beat the Lakers. This time the Lakers had the fourth quarter to turn the tide but couldn’t close the score gap.
The disappointment has been focused on Anthony Davis for managing a meager 9 points on 3-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds. He managed only half of those points in the first half.
While James and his record are winning well-deserved praise everywhere, fans feel the opposite for The Brow. His injury is not winning sympathy anymore and fans are brutally claiming he’s holding James back.
Fans don’t hold back on AD’s status
Skip Bayless, who’s James’ strongest critic, was among the first to slam Davis for not being there when the team needs him. Another social media user was not above calling AD the “biggest loser” and directly blamed him for the Lakers losing.
It’s a shame that Anthony Davis is the biggest loser in the sport because there’s no reason why the lakers should have lost this
https://t.co/BYHAoA55Kh— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking)
November 16, 2023
Reaves and AD sold big time
— nathan (@Nate_2334) November 16, 2023
Some even compared him to Austin Reaves, who came off the bench against Memphis earlier to make his own triple-double record. This time he had to guard Domantas Sabonis.
AD and ham are killing Lebron
— (La)(Lakers)2K24 (@MohammedKB24) November 16, 2023
Coach Darvin Ham kept his starters in the game to close the score gap. But it wasn’t enough to salvage him. They’re partially blaming the coach too for stretching James thin to overcompensate for other shortcomings in the rotation.
LeBron James tonight:
28 Points
10 Rebounds
10 Assists
4 Steals
1 Block
60% FG pic.twitter.com/Ffe7yUpDqB— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 16, 2023
James still takes on any AD haters. But that does little to change the opinion when everyone is convinced he’s carrying AD forward.
It’s a shame that Anthony Davis is the biggest loser in the sport because there’s no reason why the lakers should have lost this https://t.co/BYHAoA55Kh
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) November 16, 2023
Davis’ graph this season has been concerning. He’s gone from scoreless to redemptive to subpar again. And fans are done with that. They no longer seeing Anthony Davis carrying the Lakers torch after LeBron James. If Davis manages to redeem himself in the next game, they aren’t counting on him keeping that streak anymore. Do you also agree with the raging opinions on AD?
