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Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center Anthony Davis remains officially listed as questionable against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, March 18, morning after he got poked in the eye during 1a 28-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors on March 16.
However, Davis his condition has improved, according to an ESPN report.
A source familiar with Davis’ injury told ESPN the Lakers big man began to feel improvement Saturday night and continued to improve Sunday.
The Lakers labeled Davis’ eye injury as a left corneal abrasion. He sustained the injury after Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis‘ elbow inadvertently hit his eye late in the first quarter.
“[Davis] Wasn’t able to see out of that left eye, vision blurred,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham told reporters following the Lakers loss when the All-Star big man only played 11 minutes and 57 seconds — all in the opening quarter.
Davis’ injury put a dent in the Lakers’ playoff bid as Saturday’s loss allowed the Warriors to catch them at ninth place in the West.
Monday’s match against the Hawks will become crucial as another loss and a Warriors’ victory over the shorthanded New York Knicks on the same night will push the Lakers to 10th in the standings.
The Hawks will be playing on a back-to-back schedule but they are coming off a confidence-boosting 110-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, March 17.
If Davis sits out, the Lakers will have to rely on backup Jaxson Hayes and their recent pickup, Harry Giles III, to provide interior presence against the Hawks as Christian Wood (knee) and Jarred Vanderbilt (midfoot) also remain out.
LeBron James Rues Anthony Davis’ Early Exit in Pivotal Loss
Davis’ early exit forced LeBron James to carry a greater load against the Warriors. James scored 40 points but his effort went down the drain with the loss.
“When you’ve been preparing for a couple of days and you lose a key component to your team in one quarter, we tried to pick it up, but obviously, there some things we can’t do without AD,” James told reporters about Davis leaving the game early.
An overturned 3-pointer and a costly turnover by James inside the final two minutes robbed the Lakers of the chance to rally against the Warriors, who welcomed Stephen Curry (right ankle sprain) and Draymond Green (sore back) to their lineup.
LeBron James Vehemently Denies He Stepped on the Line
James’ 3-pointer would have cut down the Warriors lead to 124-120. Instead, the Warriors extended it to 126-117 after the game officials nullified his shot and his turnover led to a Jonathan Kuminga dunk.
“I didn’t believe I stepped in the line,” James told reporters. “Obviously, I knew how much space I had over there and when I shoot, I shoot on my tippy toe. So it’s kind of hard for me to have a heel down. Probably after I shoot, I was gonna land. But it is what it is.”
But the referees say otherwise.
“James’ left foot is out of bounds as he begins to shoot,” crew chief David Guthrie said in the pool report. “Yes, it is reviewable at that time. The rule is Rule 13, Section II(f)(3): Whether the shooter committed a boundary line violation, the replay center official will only look at the position of the player’s feet at the moment they touch the floor immediately prior to the release of the shot. This can be applied during other replay triggers as well.”
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