The intensity surrounding the NBA weekend reached a new high as the Golden State Warriors hosted the Los Angeles Lakers. The encounter between the Western Conference giants kept the spectators at the edge of their seats as the clash reached a double overtime. Amidst the excitement, agitation also rose amongst the visitors as their star center Anthony Davis got injured during the match.
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Towards the middle of the third quarter, the 30-year-old attempted to score from a LeBron James pass while penetrating the paint. Despite being heavily contested, he aimed to reach the basket before falling on the floor awkwardly after colliding with Draymond Green. The 2020 champion sustained an injury from that process and had to leave the game temporarily.
Anthony Davis is hurt and down pic.twitter.com/OX1ZDtFhuU
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 28, 2024
The 8x All-Star eventually returned to even register a double-double in the consequential clash. Playing through the injury, he recorded 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists in 45 minutes of gameplay. His impressive endeavours came in aid of his franchise as they defeated the Dubs 145-144 to improve their win percentage to 0.511.
After the match, the Chicago-born shed light on his injury while addressing the worries of the fanbase. “I’m good,” the 3x blocks leader mentioned, confirming his availability for the upcoming matches of the regular season. Yet, the instance possessed a concern for the organization as AD had to deal with a groin injury several times already in this campaign.
Anthony Davis confirms he’s fine after his hip spasms: “I’m good.”
He said it’s the same area he’s dealt with his groin injury for most of the season.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 28, 2024
Despite the question marks over his fitness level, Davis showcased his mentality through his endeavours in the game. Acknowledging the importance of the match, he refused to step back as his desire to play through the struggles displayed his All-Star caliber. In the end, what separated him from the herd was his ability to bring out his best for the squad despite the setbacks.
How Anthony Davis has evolved through the injury struggles
Since joining the Lakers in 2019, his availability has often remained under question. After becoming a champion in his debut season, he failed to even feature for 50% of the matches in the following two campaigns. The last season was no exception as Davis started only 54 games while coming off the bench for two.
This hurt the championship chances of the franchise majorly since 2020. Amidst the concerns, the 6ft 10″ star has stepped up impeccably in the past one-year stretch. He has played more games (91) in the last 365 days than any other NBA player, achieving a remarkable feat while answering his doubters.
No star has played more games in the last 365 days than (wait for it) Anthony Davis.
He’s at 91 contests in the last year.
Mr. Reliable. pic.twitter.com/kGXUTBHbsY
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) January 22, 2024
These encouraging signs have restored faith amongst the Lakers fans as they hope for it to continue. With the organization already taking action to secure his services as the face of the franchise, his consistency become a crucial factor for their success. It seems like Davis has also recognized that as the number-one pick of the 2012 draft aims a quantum leap.
