Lakers Lose Star Before Trade Deadline

NBA

After coming off his season-best performance, Anthony Davis suited up in the Los Angeles Lakers’ second game of a back-to-back against the Philadelphia 76ers. Davis would go on to play for 10 minutes and kept the Lakers close in the game while on the floor. With just over two minutes in the first quarter, Davis exited the game and went into the locker room. At halftime, he was announced to have suffered an abdominal strain and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

On Wednesday morning, the Lakers announced that Davis’ abdominal strain injury will keep him on the bench for at least a week. He will be re-evaluated to determine if he will be able to return or miss an extended amount of time. The Lakers, for the time being, will be without Davis for the remainder of their Grammy road trip. This includes matchups against the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers.

After the first quarter ended in a tie against the 76ers, the Lakers would eventually go on to lose 118-104. In the second quarter, the Lakers were outscored 48-32. The 76ers would build a 25-point lead, which was their largest of the game. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 43 points. It was a very impressive win for the short-handed 76ers, who were missing Joel Embiid and Paul George. LeBron James, with no Davis, had 31 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds for the Lakers.

Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko will now serve as the centers for the Lakers. Davis’ absence is expected to run close to the NBA Trade Deadline. With him out, Rob Pelinka might be wise to look at the trade market for a center. They have been closely linked to Walker Kessler and Myles Turner. In games this year without Davis, the Lakers are 2-1 and are averaging 110 points per game offensively. The defensive end is where the Lakers will miss Davis’ presence. Currently, the Lakers sit in fifth place in the Western Conference standings and just came off of a stretch where they had won six of their last seven games.

Jonathan Mansour

Jonathan Mansour, a communication major at Cal State Fullerton, is a big sports fanatic. He aspires to be a sports play-by-play announcer in the future.

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