Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images Los Angeles Lakers' Anthony Davis
The Lakers organization and fan base held their breath Tuesday night as their star big man Anthony Davis lay on the floor writhing in pain after suffering a hard fall in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 117-87 win over the New York Knicks.
Davis went up for a block of the Knicks’ Julius Randle and wasn’t able to brace himself as he fell awkwardly to the ground, appearing to land directly on his tailbone.
The Staples Center fell silent as Davis was surrounded by teammates and coaches as he lay on the floor for a couple minutes in a ton of pain.
Anthony Davis left for the locker room after a hard fall in the 3rd quarter.
The six-time NBA All-Star would eventually rise to his feet and leave the court under his own power, walking gingerly to the locker room to be evaluated.
The X-Rays of Davis’ lower back came back negative, according to his agent Rich Paul.
The Lakers are calling the injury a sacral contusion, which is a bruise to the lower part of the spine above the tailbone, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Prior to the fall, Davis had 5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in 28 minutes of action. He would not return to the game after suffering the injury.
Anthony Davis gingerly walks off the court on his own after taking a scary fall on his lower back/tailbone. He was on the floor for several minutes being attended to by Lakers medical staff.
Davis will undergo an MRI on Wednesday and is expected to miss the upcoming road trip in Dallas & Oklahoma City, according to ESPN.
The 26-year-old has taken the league by storm this season with his co-star LeBron James, leading the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. Davis is averaging 27.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.6 blocks per game in his first season in Los Angeles after being traded from the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason.
Davis Turns Down $146 Million Extension Offer From Lakers
Yahoo Sources: Los Angeles Lakers offered Anthony Davis a max contract extension this morning, but they were informed he would be bypassing in favor of entering free-agency. t.co/9Ce2A4ePbI
Anthony Davis made headlines prior to stepping on the court on Tuesday, as he declined the Lakers’ four-year, $146 million max extension offer.
Davis has a $28.7 million option for the 2020-21 season that he is expected to turn down in order to become an unrestricted free agent in July, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
According to the Yahoo report, “no one within league circles anticipates Davis leaving the Lakers after one season.”
Don’t overreact to Anthony Davis turning down a max contract from the Lakers this morning. He simply gets more money by waiting until the summer. Almost no chance he leaves Los Angeles.
Davis will be eligible to receive a five-year, $202 million max contract this summer.