Anthony Davis Calls Lakers' Loss to T-Wolves 'Embarrassing'; LAL 'Sucked' in Q3

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis said the team "sucked" in the third quarter of Friday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which led to an "embarrassing" 107-83 loss at Staples Center.

The Lakers carried a five-point lead into halftime before getting outscored 40-12 in the third.

"We sucked," Davis told reporters. "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 eight-time All-Star also noted L.A. isn't playing anywhere near a title-contention level early in the 2021-22 season.

"We got to decide who we want to be. 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."

It was an all-around lackluster performance from the Lakers, who remained without LeBron James as he recovers from an abdominal injury.

Los Angeles shot just 35.4 percent from the field, got outrebounded 54-44 and was outscored 56-32 in the paint. L.A. also had more turnovers (19) than assists (17).

The Lakers were always expected to endure a sluggish start given their massive roster turnover during the offseason, and James' injury has only further complicated the team-building process, but poor performances like the one Friday show exactly how much work they have to do in the months ahead.

Davis and Co. own a 7-6 record, but three of their wins came in overtime and five of them have come by four points or fewer. By contrast, just one of their losses was by four or fewer points.

The Lakers have played well in close games, but they can't expect to maintain that type of win-loss ratio in those situations, so L.A. must start putting together some more convincing victories.

James, who's missed the last five games, remains without a firm timetable for his return, so the onus lands on Davis and Russell Westbrook to lead the charge.

Next up for L.A. is a home game against the San Antonio Spurs (4-8) on Sunday afternoon.