The Los Angeles Lakers are 4-2 through six games with impressive wins against top Western Conference opponents. Anthony Davis has looked every bit like a superstar and focal point for Los Angeles under new head coach JJ Redick. But there are still warning signs that the Lakers have work to do.

It took Los Angeles three tries to win its first road game of the season, getting blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers. And when they finally got that win, it was in disappointing fashion against the Toronto Raptors. Already a rebuilding team, Toronto was without Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley and facing a 25-point halftime deficit.

But the Raptors managed to come back strong in the second half and make things interesting, losing by just six points when the final buzzer sounded. Although he finished with 38 points and 11 rebounds on 14-of-20 shooting from the field, Davis was deeply disappointed with the Lakers’ second-half performance, as he explained in an interview with Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet:

“Unacceptable. Yeah, we won. And we will get the victory, for sure, because it’s difficult to win in this league, especially away from home, but we are far from where we want to be. To have a big lead like that, to give them 31 points in the second, 38 in the third. If we want to do something or if we aspire to do something this season, we can’t allow that on the defensive side. gain talent, but we couldn’t do what we wanted to do on the defensive end and they felt very comfortable coming out of the half and made shots and they were able to come back in. the match.

Davis gave specific details on what the Lakers could have done to avoid the Raptors’ comeback and what they need to focus on as they complete a five-game road trip:

“Yeah, I mean, we can’t let the guys get comfortable. It’s little details, offensive rebounds, a little bit of transition. Our turnovers allowed them to find themselves in easy situations. We managed to come out on top and get the victory, but we’ll watch the film. We have a few days left before we go to Detroit, and we’re going to face a team that’s also hungry. We need to clean up and prepare for them.

One thing that separates good teams from great teams is their ability to push aside younger, rebuilding teams. One of the league’s elite players would have built a 26-point lead and likely held it for the entire second half. The Lakers have the potential to be there given how quickly they got ahead, but need to find a way to not get complacent.

Davis has been outstanding to start the year, and if he demands more of himself and his teammates, it should start a fire under the roster.

JJ Redick discusses Lakers skid

The Lakers could have easily run away with Friday’s game against the Raptors. They led 43-19 after the first quarter and 76-51 at halftime. Had they kept their foot on the gas pedal, head coach JJ Redick could have powered his way to his first-ever road victory.

Instead, the Lakers let the Raptors get back into the game with a 37-point third quarter and a repeat effort in the fourth.

The Lakers still ended up winning, but it wasn’t the way they would have liked. Redick talked about what went well for Los Angeles in the first half and how the Raptors were able to come back inside.

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