The already thin Lakers frontcourt took another massive blow on Wednesday. Midway through the first quarter of their Christmas Day game against the Warriors, Anthony Davis twisted his ankle and exited the contest.
While he was considered questionable to return initially, he remained in the locker room, did not start the second half and was ruled out of the contest late in the third quarter.
Anthony Davis has been ruled out for the rest of the game, per the Lakers.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 26, 2024
AD tried to continue playing after suffering the injury but had to come out of the game. The Lakers were forced into a super small lineup without him.
After AD was ruled out, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that AD is considered day-to-day moving forward.
Anthony Davis is able to walk without any support after suffering his left ankle sprain, sources told ESPN. He will be considered day-to-day going forward and will be reevaluated prior to LAL’s next game on 12/28 vs. SAC and it’s possible he could return
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 26, 2024
Following the Lakers’ win, Anthony Davis spoke to McMenamin and said he would play against the Kings on Saturday.
Anthony Davis to ESPN: “I’ll be OK. I am playing against SAC on Saturday”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 26, 2024
It goes without saying that, even under normal circumstances, losing AD would be painful. But the Lakers already are without Jaxson Hayes due to his own ankle sprain and Christian Wood as he recovers from knee surgery.
On Wednesday, that meant Rui started the second half at center while Christian Koloko featured more heavily. While it worked in spurts on Wednesday, that’s not a viable long-term solution and it’s probably not even a good short-term one.
Davis has been a stalwart for the Lakers over the last two seasons, shedding injury-prone labels that were attached to him, fair or foul. On top of that, he’s been playing at an MVP level this season.
The Lakers seemed to have figured some things out in recent weeks and losing AD would be a huge blow to their momentum. For now, his status past Wednesday’s game is uncertain.
The Lakers will be back in action on Friday, should he not return to Wednesday’s game. His availability for that game will be telling of how long he could be out.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
