The Los Angeles Lakers were without star big man Anthony Davis in their loss on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, but it seems like he’s trending in the right direction as the team prepares to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
Davis has been upgraded to probable for the matchup, potentially indicating that he’ll avoid back-to-back absences.
Anthony Davis (hip) and Jaxson Hayes (ankle) have been upgraded to PROBABLE for tonight’s game against Phoenix.
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 10, 2023
Although Davis was sidelined on Wednesday, he has done a pretty good job of staying on the floor so far this season, suiting up in seven of a possible eight games.
His availability, of course, is often a major storyline each season in the NBA. During his time with the Lakers, he has only reached the 60-game benchmark in one regular season — it was the 2019-20 campaign, when he appeared in 62 regular season games.
Although it’s early, he’s technically on pace to appear in about 70 games in the 2023-24 regular season. It remains to be seen how likely is it that he’ll stay on that pace, but for now, the Lakers will certainly take it.
Davis is averaging 23.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a league-best 3.3 blocks per game this season. He’s shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from deep. The sample size is small from 3-point range, but he has shown signs of growth in that department.
Unfortunately, the Lakers are just 3-5 so far, and they haven’t won a game in over a week. They were able to overcome a slow start last season before ultimately reaching the Western Conference Finals, but they’d surely like to make life easier on themselves this season by stacking up wins in the early part of the campaign.
The Lakers went 12-14 last season when Davis didn’t play. They’re 0-1 in such games this season. With any luck, their record in such games will go unchanged on Friday, as the hope is that the veteran will suit up and play.
After the game against Phoenix, the Lakers will be in action on Sunday for a date with the Portland Trail Blazers. Friday’s game is the last leg of a four-game road trip for L.A., and Sunday’s game will mark the beginning of a three-game home stand.
