All-Star center Anthony Davis faces a major injury setback because of an abdominal strain that has kept him out of the game for at least one week during an important period for the Los Angeles Lakers. The injury occurred Tuesday in the team’s 118-104 loss to Philadelphia 76ers while the Lakers face their challenging road trip.
An injury could not have come at a worse time for Anthony Davis because he performed at top form against the Charlotte Hornets the night before with 42 points and 23 rebounds. His fifth career 40-20 performance established his fundamental role in the Lakers’ victories while making his team’s struggles more severe.
Davis will travel back to Los Angeles so medical professionals can reevaluate his condition within the next week according to team statements. The return timeline of one week ensures he will play in none of the upcoming three games including road matchups against the Wizards and Knicks along with a pivotal contest against the Clippers at Staples Center.
Davis’s prolonged absence from the lineup represents a major gap in the Lakers’ starting lineup because he established himself as this season’s team leader with 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. Since his 13-year NBA career began his consistent output has reinforced his record of performing at 24.2 points and pulling down 10.7 rebounds across 778 games.
The Lakers maintained a solid 2-1 win streak across the three games Davis sat out this season yet extending this achievement might be difficult to maintain. Davis’s combined defensive playmaking abilities and offensive versatility and rebounding abilities create a tough-to-replicate combination when the team needs playoff positioning games.
The injury has disrupted Davis’s best season in recent times because he had appeared in 42 out of 45 Lakers games so far this year. When Davis returns the team will depend on their depth while likely needing to modify their style to make up for the essential contribution of their nine-time All-Star.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/lakers-anthony-davis-abdominal-out-least-week-2025-01-29/
