Lakers’ Anthony Davis Expresses Regret Over His Early Exit From Their Game Against Phoenix Suns

Published 06/04/2021, 2:39 AM EDT

The Phoenix Suns sent the Loss Angeles Lakers packing from the first round of the playoffs itself. Crushing the dreams of the purple and gold who wanted to attain their second straight title, the Suns are now advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals. The Suns are set to face the Denver Nuggets, who have also just defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in a nail-biting series. However, the game for the Lakers was already over when Anthony Davis stepped out of the court and didn’t return.

Despite taking a commanding 2-1 lead in the series, the Lakers slipped and reached a point of no return. A lot of factors resulted in the outcome, from injuries to the shortcomings of other players. However, fans were hoping their defending champions would fight better.

As the series progressed, it looked like the Lakers didn’t have their heart in the game, with some of their great players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and Dennis Schroder failing to step up when needed. In fact, in game 6, Kuzma was nearly nonexistent.

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The Lakers’ biggest disadvantage was losing Anthony Davis to a groin injury. Despite Davis not being fully recovered, he made an appearance in the game and played through the injury.

Anthony Davis wanted to give it his all

With the entire offensive load on LeBron James, the Lakers struggled to keep up with the Suns scoring. James finished the night with 29 points under his name, with Schroder adding 20 points of his own, which was progress from the zero points he scored in Game 5.

After AD missed the last game, it only made the Lakers realize that without him, there is no way they can defeat the Suns. So Davis tried to play through the pain but lacked his explosive skills and was failing to take shots. Since he looked to be in tremendous pain even on the sidelines, with 6:35 minutes left in the first quarter, he made his exit.

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Anthony Davis: “I wanted to do whatever I could to help the team … My body didn’t agree”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 4, 2021

After the game, AD stated, “I wanted to do whatever I could to help the team … My body didn’t agree.” Unfortunately for the Lakers, their unexpected comeback in the third quarter wasn’t at par with the Suns’ energy, and it was already too late.

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The Suns proved their worth in the regular season and have only made their case for the title stronger. How far do you think Devin Booker and Chris Paul can take them? Could this be the year fans see them holding up the Larry O’Brien Trophy?

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Written by:

Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.

Lakers’ Anthony Davis Expresses Regret Over His Early Exit From Their Game Against Phoenix Suns

Anthony Davis wanted to give it his all

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