Although the Los Angeles Lakers had a big and impressive 123-111 win on Friday over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Davis went down with what appeared to be a sprained ankle in the third quarter, sparking huge concern for their fanbase.
But he remained in the game and played very well to spark the victory.
Afterward, head coach Darvin Ham didn’t seem that concerned with Davis’ status moving forward.
Darvin Ham on @AntDavis23 (38 points, 17 boards), and his ankle: “He’s good, he powered through. Already started the process of trying to treat the (twisted ankle).”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 1, 2023
His hurt ankle wasn’t able to slow him down, as he scored time and time again down the stretch to deny Minnesota an opportunity to get back in the contest. The big man finished with 38 points, 17 rebounds and two blocked shots while playing 37 minutes.
Of course, the key will be how he feels on Saturday after a night of sleep and inactivity could cause such an injury to stiffen up and cause problems.
LeBron James didn’t play up to his standards, shooting just 7-of-19, while D’Angelo Russell was somewhat underwhelming offensively, going 5-of-12 from the field. But Davis carried all of his teammates throughout the contest and helped L.A. overcome a 10-point halftime deficit.
Ironically, once he got hurt, the team went on a big third-quarter sprint, and it did so by defending, rebounding and running. It finished the game with a 29-13 advantage in fast-break points and a 53-39 advantage on the boards while holding the Timberwolves to just 43.2 percent shooting.
With the win, the Lakers are now 39-38 and hold seventh place in the Western Conference while putting themselves a bit closer to their goal of finishing at least sixth.
They will play the Houston Rockets, who have the worst record in the West, on Sunday, and they will then face the Utah Jazz on Tuesday before returning to the Southland to go up against the Los Angeles Clippers the following night.
