The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their second straight game to start their road trip, falling 108-107 to the Miami Heat. But the biggest story coming out of this contest is the health of Lakers’ star big man Anthony Davis.
Late in the second quarter, Davis came up limping from what appeared to be a shot to the upper leg area. It was called a hip spasm and after warming up after halftime, Davis attempted to give it a shot at continuing to play. He struggled to move however and would be subbed out shortly, but did again return and give it another effort later in the third before being subbed out for good.
The fact that Davis was able to at least give it a go in the second half would seem to be a positive sign that the injury isn’t too serious. After the game the big man explained what happened, noting that it is his left adductor that was injured, but he remains confident he will suit up on Wednesday, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Off the spin move, I just, I don’t know, kind of spazzed up. But I felt fine coming out of halftime then it kind of spazzed up again. Then went to go get wrapped up, felt fine for a longer stint, like three minutes, then it kind of just spazzed up again… I’ll be fine. I’ll be ready to go Wednesday. But let it calm down and just get treatment and get ready to suit up on Wednesday.”
Davis would continue on, noting that while they’ll get a clearer picture after a night of sleep, he thinks he’ll be fine moving forward:
“I feel confident. I know my body. Obviously when you sleep, things can calm down or arise, but I’m very optimistic. Like I said, I got it loose and got it feeling good. Obviously it just happened so I think just letting it calm down and talking to my trainer, I think it will be fine.”
The last thing the Lakers can afford is another injury and definitely not one to Davis who has been outstanding this season. The team is already down multiple front court pieces including center Jaxson Hayes so Christian Wood was the team’s only big man down the stretch in Miami.
Of course, injuries and staying on the court has been the biggest issue for Davis for the majority of his career. After a healthy first season with the Lakers, ultimately leading to the 2020 NBA Championship, Davis has missed at least 26 games in each of the three ensuing seasons.
Hopefully this remains something minor as the Lakers’ depth has been absolutely destroyed by injuries already this season and the team’s success hinges greatly on Davis being out on the floor.
Anthony Davis says Lakers’ rebounding issues fall on entire team
Whether Anthony Davis has been on the court or not the Lakers have struggled to rebound the ball. Teams have crushed the Lakers on the offensive glass and with second-chance points and the big man believes this falls on the entire team.
Davis noted that when the bigs go out to contest, then the guards have to come down and help on the glass and vice versa. Now with Davis potentially out for some time it will be even more about the entire team stepping up to clean the glass.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
