Anthony Davis suffered an abdominal muscle strain during last night’s Lakers loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, and is now set to miss at least a week of action. The injury occured in the first quarter of last night’s game, which limited him to just 9:50 of game time. During that time, he produced four points and two rebounds.
The Lakers superstar went to the locker room around the end of the first quarter, and was listed as questionable to return until being ruled out shortly after halftime. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania and Lakers PR, Davis will miss at least a week and be re-evaluated at that point.
Despite his reputation for injuries, Davis has suited up for 42 of the 45 games played by the Lakers this season. This comes after he played in 76 of the 82 regular season games last year.
The nine-time All-Star has had an impressive first half of the season, averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 blocks across his 34.3 minutes per game. Los Angeles made a coaching change this summer and JJ Redick has leaned on Davis more heavily in the flow of the offense. The star big man has responded to the additional responsibility and will be sure to pick back up where he left off once his body allows.
The Lakers hold a record of 26-19 on the season which puts them in fifth place in a deep Western Conference. They hold +2000 odds to win the Western Conference, the ninth-best odds, and +4500 odds of winning the NBA Championship this season on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Davis will miss the remainder of Los Angeles’ east coast trip, as they will face the Wizards tomorrow, and then play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday before returning home. The Lakers will not reach to their peak as a team until Davis returns to the floor. Expect an increase in opportunities for Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, and two-way center Christian Koloko while he remains out.
