Anthony Davis left the Lakers’ second scrimmage last Saturday after accidentally being poked in the eye by Michael Carter-Williams, and the Laker big man did not return. Then he sat out the Lakers’ third scrimmage Monday for the same reason.
Now he could be out for the Lakers’ opener Thursday against the Clippers.
“He’s day-to-day, and while he’s still dealing with discomfort, there is some concern that he could potentially not play Thursday,” Lakers’ coach Frank Vogel said Tuesday in a video conference with reporters. “But we’re hopeful that he does, and we’ll see how that plays out.”
Davis is being evaluated daily, Vogel added.
Under the new NBA rules in the bubble, the Lakers will need to announce Davis’ status for Thursday by 5 p.m. (Eastern) on Wednesday.
Davis had an All-NBA, bottom-of-the-MVP ballot season averaging 26.7 points and 9.4 rebounds a game for the Lakers while playing defense that has him in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year. He has played well at the NBA restart in Orlando, at least before he was injured.
While he might miss the opener, Davis’ injury is not considered serious enough it would cause him to miss significant time or any playoff games. With the Lakers all but a lock to be the No. 1 seed in the West, they have the room to be cautious with his return. There is no reason to take a big risk for the first seeding game.
