NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LAKERS VS. NUGGETS

May 20, 2023

Anthony Davis

Los Angeles Lakers

Game 3: Postgame

Denver Nuggets 119, Los Angeles Lakers 108

Q. That stretch after Jokic got his fourth foul, went out for the rest of the third for about seven minutes, where did you feel like you weren't able to take full advantage and was that emblematic of Denver and what they have been doing with shot making?

ANTHONY DAVIS: They have been making shots down the stretch, KCP, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter, you know, made shots. We didn't. You know, I think they were were like 4-for-12 or something down the stretch, something like that. That was the difference.

Q. How do you find optimism in this situation down 0-3 but with obviously the tall task of trying to do something that's never been done before?

ANTHONY DAVIS: Take it one game at a time. You know, come Monday, leave it out on the floor, and try to get a win. Take it to Game 5, Game 6, Game 7. That's all you can really do.

Go back tomorrow -- we'll go tomorrow and look at the film and see where we can get better, especially late game both ends of the floor, and then get ready to line them up on Monday and try to keep the season alive.

Q. You guys have put so much into getting to this point in terms of six games under .500, 13th place, all that stuff. Do you feel like that's been any mental or physical kind of accumulation to the climb, the extended climb that you guys have had to be done?

ANTHONY DAVIS: I think everyone in that locker room, you know, looked at it as obviously a challenge but quote, unquote, we've done it before. Like you said, 2-10, 13th place, climbing uphill basically all season to get to this point, and it's the same thing here.

You know, obviously it's a steeper climb being down 0-3. But we are going to keep taking it one game at a time and try to get better and come out with a win on Monday.

Q. I asked Bron this, and I want to get your take, too. Obviously you guys have overcome overwhelming odds before. The 0.3 percent chance you guys recently had written on the whiteboard, the odds are even harder now, but is that belief still there that you guys can do this?

ANTHONY DAVIS: Yeah, for sure. We never, you know -- we never intend to pack it in. Obviously as you see throughout the course of this season, we have always been a team to fight. We are resilient. Everyone keep fighting till it's over. It's not over. They have to win another game.

Like I say, our job is to take it one game at a time and focus on Monday.

Q. In these first three so far, what is your feel of what works best or what is most effective in guarding Jokic, whether it's the help defense, bringing a double, drawing him away from the basket?

ANTHONY DAVIS: I think just giving him different looks, whether it's myself, Bron, Rui, double-team him, not double-team him. With a player like that, you've just got to throw different pitches at him so he's not comfortable doing one thing or reading a defense the same way.

So I think we did a good job of that tonight mixing up pitches and making it tough on him. You know, obviously made some shots down the stretch, but throughout the course of the game, you know, switching up our pitches defensively and then also attacking them offensively, seeing why he was in foul trouble.

I don't think he was the problem. Jamal Murray got hot early on in the first quarter, and then their other guys, Michael Porter, KCP, Booth, Brown, I think all them guys were over 15 points. They made some tough shots, som big shots for them down the stretch as well.

Like I said, go back and look at it, find ways to be better and then be ready for Monday.