Anthony Davis’ response to injury should only silence his doubters (Video)
The Lakers and their battle for playoff positioning nearly got more complicated after Anthony Davis injured his ankle but he played on and dominated.
Usually in sports when a player goes down injured the play around them stops. That’s not what happened to Anthony Davis and the Lakers on Friday night as they took on the Grizzlies.
In some ways, it was a fitting metaphor for the remainder of the NBA season. Even if Davis was out injured, the Western Conference wouldn’t stop battling around him or the Lakers. So the center eventually got up and kept playing.
Davis’ trouble started in the middle of the third quarter with Los Angeles training 76-68. He stumbled to the ground after grabbing a rebound but both teams kept on playing.
And they kept playing for a couple of possessions even with a made basket on the other end. Davis didn’t get tended to by trainers until a foul was committed by the Grizzlies.
Anthony Davis injured ankle but played on for Lakers vs. Grizzlies
Despite the apparent seriousness of the injury, Davis was able to return to the game and lead a 24-2 run that gave LA a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.
The response of the Lakers was encouraging while Davis especially was a monster even with his ankle clearly giving him trouble. He had 38 points and 17 rebounds as LA ran away with it, scoring 21 points after he went down.
Anthony Davis has scored 19 of his 36 points since turning his ankle early in the 3rd Q, when LAL trailed 76-68.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 1, 2023
It's 112-99 Lakers with 3:05 to play. Davis also has 16 boards.
Anyone who called Davis soft may want to rethink that after Friday’s performance.
The concern for Los Angeles coming out of the game will be all about Davis and whether the ankle might continue to hamper him as the final week of the season arrives.
The Lakers have games against the Rockets, Jazz and Clippers on the road before closing out the regular season at home against the Suns and Jazz. Sitting in the play-in spots in the Western Conference, they don’t have much margin for error.
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