Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
With the All-Star Game just weeks away, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be without Anthony Davis for at least 4 weeks.
Los Angeles Lakers fans can breathe a little easier knowing that their superstar big man hasn’t seriously hurt himself on their quest for a championship repeat. Anthony Davis has been diagnosed with a calf strain and not an Achilles injury like some initially speculated. With the Lakers currently in second place in the Western Conference, Davis being out isn’t good news but it could’ve been much worse.
It looks like the Lakers now have a better timetable for when they might expect AD back having his injuries reevaluated by team doctors Thursday night.
Anthony Davis will miss 4 weeks as Lakers head into All-Star break
The Lakers took another loss without AD on Thursday night versus the Brooklyn Nets. They did, however, learn some good news about Davis after the game.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week that Davis would be re-evaluated in two to three weeks after suffering a calf strain and aggravating the Achilles tendinosis in his right leg Sunday. We knew that he would be unlikely to return to the lineup before the NBA’s March 5-10 All-Star break, but now we know for certain.
Davis missed two games last week with tendinosis in his right Achilles and was forced to leave Sunday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets just before halftime after aggravating the injury. He bumped legs with Nuggets big man and MVP candidate Nikola Jokic with just over two and a half minutes left in the second quarter. After a foul, he remained in the game to sink two free throws before walking gingerly to the training room.
It’ll be interesting to see if this forces the Lakers to make another move before the March 25 trade deadline. For now, LeBron James will have to continue to have an MVP season to keep his team atop the competitive Western Conference.