After spending more than two months on the sidelines due to a calf injury, Anthony Davis seems to be just days away from rejoining his Los Angeles Lakers teammates on the floor.
Head coach Frank Vogel revealed before the 121-113 loss to the Boston Celtics that the 28-year-old has been cleared for full on-court activity by the medical team. Davis even took part in the pregame warmup getting some buckets before the eventful night.
The Lakers have been dealing with numerous injuries this season. LeBron James still reportedly remains two to three weeks away from making his return after injuring his ankle last month. Hence, Kyle Kuzma said he was happy to see at least one of his All-Star teammates coming back soon. “It’s gonna be great, like I said, just to get extra bodies out there,” he said about phasing Davis back into the rotation.
“I think that’s the most important thing outside of obviously getting him acclimated and back to playing shape. We’ve had a long stretch, a lot of guys have been missing, players playing through stuff, so we’re excited to get him back and hopefully get Keef back with his foot too.”
Vogel said that Davis wouldn’t automatically pick up where he left off in February. “He’s going to have to use some games to try to get himself back in shape, so first few games he’s back will likely be short-minute performances. Probably like 15-minute minutes restriction and build up from there.”
That comes as no surprise considering how much time Davis has missed, although just getting him back in any capacity is great news for the Lakers as they get ready for the stretch run of the regular season.
Gasol suffered volar plate fracture in Lakers’ loss to Celtics
Marc Gasol emerged as the hero of the Thursday clash as he carried on playing after appearing to have dislocated his finger. The 36-year-old still ended the night with a season-high 18 points.
And while Davis could soon come back from his injury, an X-ray showed Gasol suffered a ligament fracture in the finger. He said after the game he hoped to be fit for the Saturday clash against the Utah Jazz but is listed as questionable.
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