It was maybe the best game the Lakers have played all season. There was ball movement, balanced scoring with seven players in double figures, LeBron James put up 30 and Russell Westbrook had a triple-double, plus this time the Lakers held onto their lead in a win over Denver.
However, the focus is on Anthony Davis, who sat out the second half with a foot injury.
There are few details on the injury — the X-rays were clean — but Davis will undergo an MRI Saturday to determine what he is dealing with. There is hope that this is just some “discomfort” and not something more severe, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Still, Davis has missed more than half the Lakers games the previous two seasons due to an assortment of injuries, so any time he comes up hobbling it’s a cause for concern.
The injury occurred in the first quarter. Davis was bothered by it but stayed on the court for a while. He came back in the second quarter but was not the same player, going 0-of-1 shooting and looking slowed.
Anthony Davis scored 10 PTS in 17 MINS before leaving the game with a right foot injury. pic.twitter.com/cIa4ivrFYw
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 17, 2022
Davis’ injury was a cloud over an otherwise impressive Lakers win. LeBron was at his best, both hitting tough shots in the clutch and stepping up and playing some center in the second half, guarding Nikola Jokic (who still finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists). It was LeBron who refused to let the Lakers give up their lead and who keeps making plays a 37-almost-38-year-old should not.
LEBRON WITH AUTHORITY ON ESPN 👑 pic.twitter.com/Jd9S8bKQfG
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2022
It was the kind of win the 12-16 Lakers need to build on (they host their old friend Kyle Kuzma and the struggling Wizards on Sunday). However, the Lakers will need Davis — their best player this season, averaging 27.4 points a game on 59.3% shooting, plus 12.1 rebounds a night — to use this game as a springboard.