Lakers News: LeBron Praises 76ers, Anthony Davis Talks Team Chemistry and More

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in a thrilling 107-106 matchup. The game marked the first road loss of the season for Los Angeles, which now sits at 14-5 and in second place in the Western Conference.

"We didn't do enough throughout the course of the game to put ourselves in a position to win, but it was a heck of a fight down the stretch," coach Frank Vogel told reporters after the game.

While losing a gritty battle against a potential Finals opponent certainly hurts, it doesn't seem to have shaken the Lakers' confidence. Here, we'll dive into some of the latest comments by the team as Los Angeles prepares for a bounce-back game against the Detroit Pistons.  

LeBron Likes What He Sees in Philadelphia

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Having now been to 10 NBA Finals, LeBron James has seen his fair share of title contenders over the years. The 13-6 76ers will have stiff competition in the Eastern Conference from squads like the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. However, Philadelphia remains in first place in the conference, and James came away from Wednesday's game impressed by what the 76ers have established.

James said the following in his postgame press conference:

"I think it's a really good team that they've put together. ... Obviously, Doc [Rivers] has always won, pretty much wherever he's been, and he's got them playing some really good basketball. As the season goes on, there's going to be a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference that's going to play championship basketball down the stretch, and I know they believe that they are one of those teams."

Indeed, the 76ers seem to have found their formula for success this season. While Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid remain the centerpieces of the roster, Philadelphia is getting great contributions from players like former Laker Danny Green and Tobias Harris—who hit the game-winner against Los Angeles.

The addition of Rivers as head coach may prove to be the final piece of Philadelphia's process, as he has the 76ers playing some of the best team basketball in the league right now.

Anthony Davis: "We Know What It Takes"

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Despite Wednesday's loss, the Lakers are off to a tremendous start to the season. They sit only one loss behind the 14-4 Utah Jazz in the Western Conference and seem to have picked up right where they left off in the Finals—despite a fair amount of roster turnover in the offseason.

According to star forward Anthony Davis, this is partially down to the fact that so many players on the team know what it takes to win titles.

"We have now, maybe, seven guys, eight guys on the team who were champs," Davis told Mike D. Sykes II of For the Win. "They know what it takes. Our organization is used to winning championships. The guys that we've brought in ... those guys want to be champions as well."

Obviously, players like Davis, James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma returned from last year's championship team, and offseason addition Marc Gasol also has a title on his resume.

While fellow additions Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder and Wesley Matthews haven't won NBA titles, Davis believes that they have helped keep L.A. fresh after a shortened offseason.

"I think bringing in Dennis [Schröder] and bringing in Trez [Montrezl Harrell] and Wes [Matthews], guys who didn't play into October, they're coming in and giving us that spark. So it's been great. It's been good for us," Davis said.

Los Angeles seems to have found a superb mix of returning talent and new blood this season. If it continues building on the chemistry it's shown early this year, a team like Philadelphia might beat the Lakers once or twice but will find winning a seven-game series extremely difficult.

Jared Dudley Hoping for One More Year

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Veteran forward Jared Dudley hasn't been much of an early factor for the Lakers this season. He's missed time with a calf injury and has only played a small role off the bench. He's only appeared in six games and hasn't played since January 8.

However, Dudley is hoping to play one more season with the Lakers or another team before setting his sights on a coaching or front-office role.

"I think if it's not with the Lakers, I believe there is a team out there that will respect what I can do and help that locker room, and I would love to see my son maybe even travel to some games. I want my last hurrah, him to be heavily, heavily involved," Dudley told former teammate Green on his podcast Inside the Green Room.

Once Dudley's playing career comes to an end, the 35-year-old is hoping to stick around the NBA in some capacity.

"It's coach or GM, that's what it is," Dudley said. "I'm leaning towards coaching just because if you get fired, you can be an assistant. I could go into TV. General manager is a little different. I would prefer to be able to control the team like a general manager."

Dudley returned to the Lakers on a one-year deal this offseason.