The Los Angeles Lakers included Anthony Davis on their injury report for Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which has been commonplace for both he and LeBron James this season. However, the designation now attached to Davis is right Achilles tendonosis.
He is considered questionable to play against the Thunder. James (left ankle sprain) is probable, and Kostas Antetokounmpo (right knee patellar tendinitis) and Jared Dudley (right calf soreness) are out. Dudley recently said he was working on conditioning in effort to return.
Davis previously has appeared on the injury report this season for a right ankle contusion, right ankle sprain, lower back tightness, right adductor strain, right calf contusion, right knee contusion and right quad contusion.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Achilles trouble will sideline Davis on Monday night:
A league source told ESPN it is “very likely” Davis will miss the Thunder game as a precaution and Davis, 27, has been managing the discomfort “for a while.”
He’s played in 21 of the Lakers’ 24 games entering Monday. Davis sat out Dec. 27 against the Minnesota Timberwolves — the Lakers’ third game of the season. He missed again Jan. 8 against the Chicago Bulls due to the right adductor strain, and when L.A. faced the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 28 because of a right quad contusion.
Two of the instances Davis was held out came in the second game of a back-to-back. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel recently explained that was mere coincidence and not part of the team’s plan.
Davis is coming off a season-high 45 minutes in the Lakers’ double overtime win against the Pistons on Saturday. James was right there with his fellow captain, logging 46 minutes. “It’s on my mind,” Vogel said of the heavy workload for his two stars.
“That’s not what we want to do, but game on the line, those guys want to be in there.”
Davis not concerned about recent 3-point shooting struggles
Heading into the season, Vogel made it clear the Lakers wanted Davis to average five attempts behind the arc. He’s yet to reach that, and more recently has struggled with knocking down shots from deep when deciding to let it fly.
“The players get on me about shooting them, especially when I’m open, but I just try to make the right play,” Davis said over the weekend. “I do have to shoot the ones that I’m open on. I think it’s just me actually doing it.”
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