Getty Images LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Anthony Davis limped off the floor on Sunday night during the Los Angeles Lakers blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets, re-aggravating an Achilles injury that has been bothering him for quite some time.
Davis did not return to the game and is awaiting the results of an MRI on Monday that will reveal what exactly is going on with the injury.
Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis re-aggravated his right Achilles tendonosis and there’s some swelling, source tells ESPN. He will get an MRI on Monday.
LeBron James obviously wants his LA running mate on the court as the Lakers chase a second straight title but his focus was only on one thing after the scary moment.
“For me all I care about is health,” James told reporters after the 122-105 loss to the Nuggets. “I want him to be healthy and our team needs him healthy. He has got to make sure he takes all the precautions and does due diligence with the injury to be right when he comes back. No rush, no timetable. We just want him to be healthy and get back to full strength.”
“For me, all I care about is health. Our team needs him to be healthy.” @KingJames post-game with @LakersReporter discusses what the #Lakers need to do to make up for AD’s indefinite absence.
Anthony Davis Optimistic Following Injury
Davis has been dealing with the Achilles issue, which was dubbed as right Achilles tendonosis by the Lakers. He missed two games earlier this month nursing the injury and is expected to miss even more now. However, he feels that he avoided a much worse situation.
“They [doctors] said everything looked good but you still want to get an MRI just to be sure,” Davis told reporters. “I go out there and try to compete at the highest level and do what I can to help this team, and so if that means me going out there and playing through some minor bumps and bruises, then that’s what it is. But this one is a little different that I definitely have to be smart with.”
“They [doctors] said everything looked good but you still want to get an MRI just to be sure.” @AntDavis23 talks post-game with @LakersReporter about re-aggravating his achilles tonight in Denver. #LakeShow
Davis had been fairly adamant that he wanted to be on the court despite the injury. He rejected the notion that he rushed back too soon.
“All of today it felt great. It felt great in the first quarter. It felt great from the time I was in in the second quarter until the last play,” Davis told reporters. “So, I think it’s just the way I moved and stepped kind of re-aggravated that injury. But I don’t think I rushed to come back.”
Next Man Up Mentality for Lakers
GettyLeBron James, Lakers, at left, with Kyle Kuzma
Davis is not an easy guy to replace in a lineup. His points (22.9), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.9) per game are all down from a year ago, but he’s still one of the best players in the NBA and can go off on any given night. Davis proved that in his first game back after missing time on Friday, putting up 35 points in 35 minutes, grabbing 9 rebounds and notching a pair of steals.
Davis had 15 points in 14 minutes on 5-of-11 shooting before exiting on Sunday.
“It’s a tough blow. He was playing so well up until the injury tonight,” James said. “It’s always next man up, no matter who is out. We are not asking anyone to pick up what AD does. You can’t do that. That’s impossible. He’s a special player and a special talent for a reason. Everyone has to pick up their play individually for the collective of the team. We look forward to that challenge.”
Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris will likely see more minutes with Davis out. Kuzma has played especially well, stepping up on both ends. And he’s taking pride in rebounding the ball. He has a pair of double-doubles in his last four games, and was just a couple of rebounds short in the two others.
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