Given his injury history, Lakers fans are often on the edge of their seats when Anthony Davis goes off on the floor. Last night, AD was battling Jaren Jackson Jr. for an offensive rebound when he hurt his left shoulder. The 31-year-old quickly sank to the hardwood, clutching his arm in pain as Crypto.com Arena waited with bated breath.
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Halfway through the third, Davis had poured in 28 points and grabbed 13 boards already, helping LA to an 81-61 lead against Memphis. He tried to brush off the shoulder pain but had to exit the game with 5 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the quarter.
JJ Redick kept AD off the court till the fourth as the Grizzlies slowly clawed their way back into the game. With 9 minutes and 19 seconds remaining, Davis finally checked back in and made an immediate impact. The Brow scored 7 consecutive points for the Lakers in 4 minutes.
By the end of the night, he would tie his season-high of 40 points, shooting 15 of 22 from the field and securing 16 boards in 33 minutes, putting any concerns about his shoulder to bed. During a post-game locker room interview with Spectrum SportsNet, the nine-time All-Star reflected on his third quarter scare.
“Just a little stinger,” Davis said. “Just went in the back, got some work done. I had four fouls anyway so, about time for me to come out anyway.”
Anthony Davis on his shoulder: "Just a little stinger. Went in the back, got some work done. I had four fouls anyway, so it was about time for me to come out." pic.twitter.com/xcjTcskQ4z
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 16, 2024
When the Brow was vying for a loose ball against JJJ, he was already in foul trouble. With the game also comfortably in hand at the time, there wasn’t much reason to keep Davis on the floor, particularly since he was at risk of picking up his fifth personal foul with a lot of basketball still to be played.
To be fair to Redick, AD was called for his fourth foul just 30 seconds before he nicked his shoulder. And regardless of the coach’s decision, the 2020 NBA champion showed his maturity upon returning to the floor.
Davis didn’t compromise on his aggression but played with poise and ended the game without picking up his fifth personal foul. He also had 2 steals and 1 block to help out the Lakers’ defense last night.
Fans undoubtedly want to see more of this AD on the court, but above all else, they want to see him healthy. When asked if he was still feeling any discomfort in his shoulder after the game, he simply said “Yes.”
Hopefully, his light-hearted demeanor about the subject means that Davis doesn’t expect it to be a lingering issue. LA’s upcoming schedule will allow him some time to recover from the bump though. Redick’s side enjoy a three-day break before their next game, when they take on their interstate-rivals, Sacramento.
