Anthony Davis already helped cost the Lakers one game against the Orlando Magic by missing two clutch free throws earlier this season, and he nearly did it again in the team’s narrow win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
The Lakers escaped Sacramento with a 103-99 win, but with just over 12 seconds remaining, Davis came this close to giving another game away. With Los Angeles leading just 101-99, Davis missed not one, but both clutch free throws, only getting bailed out from being blamed for the loss by a huge tip-out from teammate Rui Hachimura and some clutch freebies from Austin Reaves:
Rui Hachimura w/ a huge offensive rebound off that Anthony Davis missed FT. AD missed two in a row w/ 12.1 seconds left, but LAL was able to retain possession and get two FTs out of Austin Reaves instead. The Lakers are up 103-99 with 9.2 seconds left with AR snapping 8-0 SAC run
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 22, 2024
Davis, as you might expect, was getting roasted by fans for the moment, but it was a lot less bad than it might have been online had his nerves cost the Lakers the game:
Rui Hachimura just saved AD’s legacy
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) December 22, 2024
But “online” is an important qualifier in that sentence, because the most ruthless Davis slander following the victory might have been reserved for his wife, Marlen Davis. In his postgame comments, AD made it clear that not even professional athletes are safe from getting absolutely cooked by their partner:
Anthony Davis on his missed late free throws and Rui Hachimura’s offensive rebound to retain possession for LAL: “My wife even called me and said, ‘Rui saved you.’ So that made me feel worse.” pic.twitter.com/N5DwbEn2BC
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 22, 2024
Anthony Davis, smiling about Rui Hachimura’s game-saving offensive rebound on AD’s missed free throw: “I definitely appreciate Rui with the tip-out. My wife even called me and said ‘Rui saved you.’ That made me feel, like, worse than I actually did. Whose side is you on?” AK
— Kamenetzky Brothers (@KamBrothers) December 22, 2024
You gotta feel for AD here. Not only did you nearly choke a close game away again to make you question your late-game free-throw abilities even more, but then the person you love most in the entire world calls you… to make sure you know Rui Hachimura just saved your legacy?
I mean, it’s the truth, but damn, that’s still brutal. I’d hate to hear what she would have said if Rui hadn’t gotten that tip-out. For the sake of Lakers fans’ (and AD’s) mental health, let’s hope we never have to find out.
