AD temporarily exited the Lakers’ double-overtime win in Golden State due to hip spasms.
The Los Angeles Lakers seemingly avoided a major injury scare to Anthony Davis, who temporarily exited their wild double-overtime win vs. the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center with what the team called a hip spasm.
Davis took a Draymond Green knee to the lower body when he barreled through the lane at the 5:30 mark in the third quarter. AD lingered on the ground for a few minutes before slowly rising. He took his free throws and slowly walked to the Lakers’ locker room (the Lakers promptly embarked on a 14-4 run, fueled by Jarred Vanderbilt).
Anthony Davis took his free throws then walked to the Lakers’ locker room very gingerly https://t.co/XSqXjOO8na
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) January 28, 2024
Out of nowhere, AD subbed back in with 9:05 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Lakers trailing, 103-96. Davis hit a floater on his first possession and never subbed back out, despite noticeably hobbling up and down the floor. He secured a critical offensive rebound and two free throws with 28.9 seconds left then got a finger on Stephen Curry’s potential game-tying 3-pointer. A few possessions later, Curry crossed Davis up to score the overtime-forcing layup. Davis gutted through two more overtimes, finishing with 29 points (11-for-24 shooting), 13 rebounds, and four blocks in 45 (!) minutes.
“I’m good,” he said afterward.
Davis has been among the most durable high-volume players in the NBA in 2023-24, only missing only two games. Yet, he’s dealt with hip/groin issues since November. He exited a Nov. 6 loss to the Miami Heat with hip spasms and missed the next game against the Houston Rockets, who the Lakers will visit on Monday. Davis acknowledged he reaggravated the same nagging ailment in Golden State.
After that exhausting instant classic, everybody Laker is going to be hurting tonight. The taste of victory, at least, should help.
“It’s tough to get wins in this league,” added AD. “To lose this one, it would hurt. … It’s tiring, for sure. But it’s fun at the same time.”
Source link