Anthony Davis laid things out plain and simple for the Lakers after a 107-83 loss to the Timberwolves on Friday: They are not a championship team—at least at the moment.
"We got to decide who we want to be," Davis said after the game. "A championship team? That's not us right now," Davis said. "We're not winning a championship the way we're playing. We got to be better, and we got to care more for our wins at home. Wins in general. That was embarrassing."
The Lakers took a five-point lead into halftime before being outscored 40-12 in the third quarter against Minnesota, which came into the game with the third-fewest wins in the Western Conference.
According to ESPN, the Lakers have been outscored by 83 points in the third quarter to start the season—the worst point differential of any team in any quarter so far.
"We sucked," Davis said when asked about the third. "No defense. Can't score. That's not just this third quarter, [it's] every third quarter we've played this season.
"We come out slow, lackadaisical offensively and defensively. We got to get it together. Why? I can't tell you. But we got to do a better job."
The Lakers are still waiting on the return of LeBron James, who coach Frank Vogel said is back to participating in on-court activities. The 36-year-old star sustained an abdominal injury against the Rockets on Nov. 2, which has caused him to miss five games.
