Lakers big man Anthony Davis dealing with shoulder injury in Game 5 vs. Nuggets

Update: Davis has returned to the bench for LA and probably will come back into the game at some point. We’ll see how effective he can be as he powers through shoulder pain.

Update: Davis, who was clearly not himself as he attempted to power through the shoulder injury, has gone back to the locker room to get the issue checked out further. Even if it turns out to be nothing major and Davis does come back, he’s likely going to be limited as the Lakers try to stave off elimination.

Los Angeles Lakers star big man Anthony Davis appeared to suffer a major shoulder injury in Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets Tuesday night. Davis took a shot from Michael Porter Jr. as both attempted to gain position for a rebound, and the big man went to the ground with pain in his shoulder. Davis did not land on the shoulder, so it was the bump with Porter Jr. which appeared to cause the issue. He was having a huge game with 16 points and nine rebounds prior to the injury.

The Lakers star did not go back to the locker room and was getting treatment on the bench before ultimately getting back into the contest. Given the team is facing elimination, there’s almost no chance of Davis sitting out the rest of this game short of him being unable to walk. However, we’ll have to see if this shoulder injury impacts his ability to grab rebounds and shoot the ball.

If Davis ultimately does have to check out of the game, Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes will be tasked with absorbing those center minutes. LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell will likely take on more of the scoring burden with Davis laboring through the injury.