Anthony Davis says Lakers were ‘terrible defensively’ against Pacers

The Lakers beat the Pacers on Sunday, but the defense was noticeably absent, which Anthony Davis acknowledged after the game.

The Lakers beat the Pacers 150-145 on Sunday, extending their winning streak to three, reaching seven games above .500 for the first time since the 2020-21 season and pushing their advantage over the Warriors for the ninth seed to two-and-a-half games.

The win was part of a perfect week for the Lakers, which earned Anthony Davis Western Conference Player of the Week honors. However, despite all the positives, Davis did highlight Los Angeles' biggest negative, their poor defensive performance, after the win.

"(We were) just terrible defensively,” Davis said postgame. "They hit some shots toward the end, some deep threes. We can do what we want offensively, as you can see tonight, but we have to be able to defend, especially when we're up on a team like that. Don't try to give them no life.

“But at this point in this season, a win is a win and we'll take it but we have to learn from it as well."

The defensive showing may have been disappointing, but it wasn't a surprise. The Pacers have one of the best offenses in the NBA. They lead the league in points with 123.1 per game, are second in offensive rating at 120 and are second in pace at 102.46.

Matchups create circumstances and with the Pacers' fast-paced play, it's easy to end up in a shootout against them trying to match buckets, which is exactly what happened to the Lakers on Sunday.

The good news is they answered the call, winning the game and scoring 150 points, the most they've scored since their 155-118 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 2, 1987.

It's March and given the competitiveness of the Western Conference, these are survive and advance games for the Lakers. Take the ugly win against the Sixers and the offensive onslaught against the Pacers and keep on going.

Hopefully, as the Lakers embark on the last road trip of the regular season, these wins start to look like dominant performances, but for now, complaining while winning is better than great efforts in defeat.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.