The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans Thursday night to book their berth for Saturday’s inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Finals. The Lakers will face a formidable Indiana Pacers team that has shown strong contention for the NBA Cup this season.
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Although Lakers center, Anthony Davis, has proved his prowess in this tournament, a recent injury report has placed Davis’ availability status as ‘probable’ for the Final, as he recovers from a left adductor strain. AD has had a long history of hip injuries, especially left adductor strains, since his New Orleans Pelicans days back in 2017.
Davis spoke at length about his hip injury back when he first suffered them in 2017. Back then, the All-Star center felt the pain was something he had never experienced before and was getting increasingly frustrated for not being a part of the team.
After suffering this injury in a 2017 game against the Golden State Warriors, Davis told ESPN, “I just want to be part of the team. I haven’t done any basketball stuff yet. I want to make sure that the pain has really gone away, especially since all I did was jump, and it kind of killed me.”
This season as well, Davis’ tryst with hip injuries doesn’t seem to be over. In a game against the Miami Heat, AD suffered a hip spasm, which led to his early exit to the locker room. However, this didn’t stop him from performing this season, as the center appeared in 14 straight contests, missing just one game in the 2023-24 campaign.
A tweet from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha on X also mentions that the status of LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt remains questionable for the Lakers, while Gabe Vincent has been ruled out from the Finals.
Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt are probable vs. Indiana. James has recently been listed as questionable before most games.
Gabe Vincent remains out.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 9, 2023
The Lakers fans might now only hope that their best players get the chance to contend for tonight’s game and bag the $500,000 cash prize.
Tyrese Haliburton remains a possible threat against the Lakers in the In-Season Tournament Finals
Indiana Pacers youngster Tyrese Haliburton has been the talk of the town throughout this season. Thanks to Haliburton’s incredible prowess, the Pacers have managed to beat big-name teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics to march to the tournament’s Finals.
Haliburton has averaged 27.8 points, 13.7 assists, and 5 rebounds in this tournament, which has strengthened his case for winning the MVP title. Haliburton reigns atop the ladder to win the title, followed by LeBron James and Damian Lillard, with stats similar to the Pacers star’s.
