Christmas Day was a spectacular contest in which Anthony Davis recorded 13 rebounds and 40 points against arch-rivals Boston Celtics. The Celtics, anchored by Kristaps Porzingis, were well-balanced, however, as six players scored in double digits.

While Christmas Day is typically a cause for festivity and jubilation, Los Angeles Lakers supporters may wish to set aside their festive sentiments on December 25th, at least from a sporting perspective, this year. The Lakers suffered their first loss of the season on Christmas Day to their longtime rivals, the Boston Celtics. When asked what the Lakers could do to improve their performance to their full potential, forward Anthony Davis immediately identified what he believed to be the issue.

“Buckle down defensively,” Davis said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Despite Davis finishing with 40 points and 13 rebounds, it was not enough as the Lakers fell to a Celtics team that saw all five Boston starters score no less than 18 points.

Right after tip-off, the Celtics started strong, building a lead that grew to as much as 18 points. However. Los Angeles responded in the second, cutting the lead down to just one point entering halftime.

Despite Los Angeles gaining a two-point advantage to begin the third quarter, the Celtics answered, mounting another lead that the Lakers were trying to trim down once again. Boston’s firepower proved too much, however, as the Celtics maintained the lead throughout the rest of the final period to finish the game.

Davis also lamented how there were “too many mistakes” from the Lakers’ end. While he did add that the team has been “really good with (controlling) the turnovers,” it was the timely ones that proved fatal. Davis then mentioned how their new lineup change still needs better communication.

“The lineup change. We’re not a switching team but we’re getting to it because of our lineup. So the miscommunication is there,” Davis added.

The Lakers are currently in ninth place in the Western Conference. Luckily for Anthony Davis, there are still plenty of games in the season for the team to improve their defense and build chemistry within their newly changed lineups.