Without LeBron James available, all eyes turned to Anthony Davis who did his best to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Davis had a great outing against the Nuggets as he recorded a near triple-double of 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to go along with two steals and three blocks. He certainly held his own against Nikola Jokic, but the rest of the Denver roster was too much to overcome down the stretch.
While Davis’ counting stats look great on paper, anyone who watched the game would tell you he was laboring nearly every time down the floor as he played through his foot injury. The big man acknowledged that it was painful for him to play but he wanted to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.
“Foot was bothering me throughout the game from start to finish but it’s a time where we have to be able to fight through,” Davis said. “For me personally, trying to help the team gather these wins to keep hopes alive to get in the Play-In. I did everything I could on the sideline to keep it warm and now got a couple days until we play. Try to get it right, get treatment today and tomorrow to get ready for Phoenix.”
The 29-year-old looked like he came up limping anytime he had to jump, and while it seems like a bad idea to allow him to keep playing Davis appears to have the go-ahead from the training staff.
“I think they said I can’t get it any worse, I think. Once I hear that I can’t make it any worse then it’s just about getting ready and making sure it felt comfortable enough to go out and play.”
The odds of the Lakers making the Play-In Tournament are almost nil at this point considering how many things need to break in their favor, so perhaps it would be in the team’s best interest to shut down Davis so he can properly rehab. Davis has been adamant about wanting to play the rest of the way, but the organization needs to keep his long-term health in mind even if the staff said he is fine to go.
Los Angeles may not be mathematically eliminated from the Play-In Tournament, but their schedule the rest of the way is not easy by any means. They do draw the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, who may be looking to rest starters, so perhaps they can keep their hopes alive then.
Anthony Davis maintains Lakers can turn season around
The stars for the Lakers have publicly been steadfast in their belief that they can still right the ship. While fans may be tuning out already, people like Davis have not given up yet and are hoping that they have one good run left in them.
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