In the dominant 117-87 win over the New York Knicks, Anthony Davis slowly headed back to the Los Angeles Lakers locker room following a scary fall.
Late in the third quarter, Davis came over to contest Julius Randle‘s layup at the rim and unfortunately landed awkwardly on his back/tailbone area.
While X-rays returned negative, the expectations were Davis would likely miss the team’s road trip against the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, following an MRI that returned clean, Davis reportedly plans to travel with his teammates now, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
After scary fall Tuesday night in Los Angeles, Davis underwent MRI that showed lower back injury is a bruise, league sources said. Positive news for Davis and the Lakers. https://t.co/314ZPDurwQ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2020
The team later confirmed Charania’s report and have Davis listed as questionable against the Mavericks, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers:
Good news on the Anthony Davis front after he took that fall last night against the Knicks: an MRI showed a gluteus maximus contusion. He’s set to be listed as questionable for Friday’s game at Dallas, and Davis will travel with the team.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 8, 2020
During Davis’ seven seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, he was labeled as ‘injury-prone’ and has tried to shed that label since joining the Lakers. However, every time the 26-year-old falls down, there are obviously concerns.
Through nearly the first half of the 2019-20 NBA season, Davis has dealt with some injuries but has only missed two games so far. While it is tough to see Davis playing during this road trip, the Lakers can afford for him to rest.
At 30-7, the Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference and second-best in the entire league. As some of his teammates are also banged up, the goal is to win the 2020 NBA Finals, so they should be more cautious.
While it is unclear how much time Davis will ultimately miss, LeBron James and company should be able to hold the fort down before a challenging four-game East coast road trip that begins against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 20.