"AD and Lebron sold tonight"- Lakers fans are livid with LeBron James and Anthony Davis after a miserable performance in Game 2

Anthony Davis and LeBron James severely underperformed in the LA Lakers' 108-103 Game 2 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Davis scored 18 points, shooting only 4-of-15 from the floor, while James had 22 on 9-of-19 shooting. He went 0-for-6 from deep.

Davis looked off-color from the get-go, while LeBron missed a couple of easy dunks and layups that came back to haunt the team late in the game. James and Davis combined for seven of the Lakers' 12 turnovers during the game. Five of them came in the fourth quarter alone.

The LA Lakers were outscored 24-34 in the final 12 minutes as they blew an 11-point lead to lose the game. Jamal Murray caught fire down the stretch as he went off for 24 of his 37 points in the final frame.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined to score nine points in that stretch. The game seemed to slip out of LA's hands, mainly due to their struggles. Austin Reaves and Rui Hacimura executed their roles perfectly as the former tallied 22 points, shooting 50.0%, including 5-of-9 on 3-pointers, while the latter bagged 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

James and AD got brutally mocked online for their disappointing performances. One fan wrote:

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have never been down 0-2 before

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been highly successful in the playoffs when healthy. They have won every series with both players at 100%. The only series they lost as teammates was against the Phoenix Suns in round one of the 2021 playoffs. The Lakers were up 2-1, but Davis sustained a groin injury and missed the rest of the series, resulting in the team's 4-2 loss.

During their tenure with the Lakers, LeBron and AD were never down 0-2 in a playoff series until Thursday night when the Denver Nuggets stormed back to win Game 2 of the 2023 conference finals series. It's unfamiliar territory for the Lakers superstar duo, but not one that could keep them from making a comeback.

Taking at least one win back home would've proved advantageous for the LA Lakers in this series, but now they've got to string three wins in a row to have a legitimate shot at closing this contest. The Lakers could level the series 2-2 with homecourt advantage in Games 3 and 4 but could struggle to get one on the road in Game 5.

If they do get one, the Lakers will have a realistic shot at winning this series with a closeout Game 6 at home. They have had a 100% record at home this postseason, including the playoffs, so this series is far from over at this stage.

However, if LeBron James and Anthony Davis fail to produce the goods as they did in Game 2, Denver might have a solid shot at possibly sweeping this series or closing it in five.

About the author

Arhaan Raje is an Assistant Content Manager and Senior Writer with Sportskeeda's NBA/WNBA team with four years of experience.

Arhaan focuses on features, trends, listicles, and the latest rumors and reports circling the league's top teams and players. He emphasizes detailed research to create impactful content for readers. A fan of Xs and Os, Arhaan provides technical deep dives in his reporting.

Arhaan completed his bachelor's degree in BBA in Media and Entertainment Management from Mumbai, India.

Arhaan admires the killer mentality of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He respects LeBron James for being a role model on and off the court. The bold and decisive Gregg Popovich stands out as Arhaan's favorite basketball coach. LeBron's epic chase-down block in the 2016 NBA Finals has a special place in Arhaan's basketball memories.

He has interviewed former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton and Ronnie 2K, the face of NBA2k and Marketing Director.

Sports isn't the only passion he has pursued professionally. Arhaan is also into performing arts in the music industry as a percussionist.

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