Lakers big man Anthony Davis will miss Friday’s game at Minnesota with lower back tightness, the team announced (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).
Davis was considered a game-time decision leading up to the contest. He was able to participate in the team’s Friday shootaround, but he has now been ruled out.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said back issues are “tricky” because Davis felt fine Friday morning, but Ham implied he may have slept on it wrong and tweaked it. However, Ham is hopeful that it will be a one-game absence.
“We feel good about him being available the next game,” Ham said. The Lakers’ next game is Sunday vs. Denver, followed by Wednesday vs. New Orleans.
As Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times tweets, the Lakers also announced that Russell Westbrook (left hamstring) and LeBron James (left foot soreness) are available for Friday’s game against the Wolves.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier today that Ham planned to bring Westbrook off the bench against Minnesota, but that was contingent upon Davis playing. However, Wojnarowski tweets that the Lakers still plan to transition Westbrook to a reserve play-making role — it just might be temporarily postponed due to Davis’ absence.
For his part, Ham said he was undecided on whether Westbrook would start tonight, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (via Twitter).
Davis, an eight-time All-Star, has struggled with various injuries throughout his career, but particularly the past two seasons. From 2020-22, Davis only appeared in 76 of a possible 154 games.
The Lakers are still looking for their first win of the season, and now they’ll be without the former No. 1 overall pick for at least one game. Davis is averaging 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.3 blocks on .527/.182/.762 shooting through four games (35.0 minutes per contest).
He gonna be out 4-6 weeks from a voice crack
Come on lakers, everyone is pulling for u to get that first win
Nobody is pulling for this coach BRON BRON team to win ever. Oh wow Anthony Davis hurt. Again
What I never understand with lakers is knowing he is injured prone why do they have him play extended minutes. Look up north neither Green or Thompson is playing extended minutes until they are in condition. I know the team is bad but rest LeBron and Davis as much as possible because of injuries.
Los Angeles Lakers definitely don’t need to trade the 2027 & 2029 First Round Picks.
I’m okay with Russell Westbrook coming off the bench in the 6th man role.
I want to see them turn it around but if they don’t and miss out on the playoffs a second year in a row.
I’m going to let Russell Westbrook and all the free agents leave in the off season.
Then I’m sending LeBron James back to the Miami Heat for Duncan Robinson and Kyle Lowry and two First Round Picks.
Then I’m sending Anthony Davis to the Charlotte Hornets for Gordon Hayward James Bouknight and two First Round Picks.
It’s going to be a total rebuild. Both Kyle Lowry and Gordon Hayward will be on expiring deals.
AD is so injury prone he will be a tough trade asset unless its to a playoff team for back up players. You are not going to get draft picks from Hornets since they are in a rebuild too. LeBron can’t be traded until the off season since he just resigned.
Arc – Incorrect
Everybody in the league over 28 has lower back tightness
Facing Gobert may have been a factor…
Not sure Rudy scares anybody
Facing his defense, of course
I guess the Russ2bench experiment will have to be on hold
Davis is afraid of KaT
Davis was wincing and moving gingerly after so many plays against Denver. Just about every time he left his feet he came down in pain. Not surprised he’s resting. Dude has to get his back right if Lakers even hope to make the play-in.
Play-in???? they’ll be lucky to win 25 games this season
I really want you to be wrong, but if they don’t figure s*** out in a hurry you might be right. They aren’t getting blown out though. They are mostly in these games, which tells me they are mostly doing the right things. If they start shooting anything close to respectable they’ll start taking some of these, but it needs to happen yesterday.
Pelicans going to get a great pick next year
Unfortunately the perfect storm of LBJ’s age, Davis’ injury proneness, Westbrook’s douchieness, and pisspoor player moves has descended just in time to turn Showtime into the Rocky Horror Picture Show for your Halloween enjoyment.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of guys.
Amen to that Curtisrowe
And so it begins..
Plastic man
Ok who had under 6 games before Davis suffered his first game-missing injury of the season?
Or maybe the question is who didn’t expect him to miss time by now..?
Jackie Moon > AD
Street Clothes lasted four games before he sat one out. Here we go again.
AD is Adrian Dantley (of course) … this iteration of those initials is decidedly NOT AD. This feller is
THE NOODLE
What a joke. It’s time for the buss family to sell this beloved franchise. I love Jennie but it’s just time they have been a train wreck since Dr buss died. They have No 1st round picks coming up and they are atrocious. Hate to say it but it’s time to unload Lebrun and Davis and hit the re set button. Get some draft picks and start over. Davis will never be healthy
I don’t know what the team and LBJ agreed to at the time of the extension, but if there’s a contingency plan where LBJ would consider being moved to another team (yes, I think he’d have to be onboard with it), then it might be time to dust that off. LAL doesn’t control their draft picks the next few years, so it’s not about tanking. Just about breaking from the pressure of having LBJ in the final years of his career. I don’t think they’d get a lot or need to for it to work.