UPDATE: After Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that there was optimism that Anthony Davis could return later in their first-round series against the Suns, it’s now being reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that there’s optimism that he could return “if this were to go 7 games”. That paints a picture of Davis being unlikely for Thursday’s game six in addition to being unlikely for game five. Wojnarowski’s full report from ESPN is below.
Noon @SportsCenter with @Sagesteele on pessimism surrounding Anthony Davis’ availability for Game 5 of Lakers-Suns series pic.twitter.com/MMnVIRikRn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 31, 2021
UPDATE: According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Anthony Davis is unlikely to play in game five of the Lakers’ first-round series on Tuesday. However, there is optimism that he can return from the strained groin injury later in the series. Game six is scheduled for Thursday while a potential game seven would be on Saturday. Davis is officially listed as day-to-day.
Original Story Follows:
The Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis continue to battle injury. It seems as if this is an evergreen paragraph at this point. Davis went down in the second quarter of Sunday’s 100-92 loss at home against the Phoenix Suns. The big man suffered a left groin strain as he landed from attacking the rim. Davis was already recovering from his calf injury and a more recent knee sprain.
Despite the bleak vibes, it appears that Davis got some level of good news. Shams Charania of The Athletic gave an update on his status:
Good news for AD and the Lakers: Davis avoided a more serious injury. He has a chance to play in Game 5 in Phoenix, but status is very much in question. https://t.co/CGwAHZDDL1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 31, 2021
A more serious injury could have been a tear or a higher grade of strain. This may be an injury that can be managed in between days off from play. With the series knotted at 2-2, the Lakers are guaranteed to play two more games. It wouldn’t be surprising if they elected to rest him on the road and bring him back in game six.
Whatever the Lakers decide, it will require non-stop treatment for sure. Davis’ importance to defending their title goes without question. Hopefully AD’s knicks and knacks have created an epic chapter of perseverance in the book they are writing. Anything other than this is a proposition that could leave a bad taste in the mouth of basketball fans. Let’s hope the basketball gods show the Lakers a little bit of mercy on a continuing unconventional journey.
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