Without an injured Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered one of their worst playoff defeats ever in Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
LeBron James didn’t want Davis to risk aggravating the injury and therefore pushed him to sit out the contest.
“Davis told teammates he was going to push to play in Game 5, league sources told Yahoo Sports,” wrote Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports. “LeBron James encouraged Davis not to rush it, noting the personal bout he had with the same injury, sources said.
Davis didn’t play due to a groin strain he suffered in Game 4. He was a game-time decision for Game 5, but after participating in some pregame drills, it was determined he wasn’t healthy enough to play.
Two years ago, James also suffered a groin strain. Although an MRI came back clean, he ended up missing about a month due to the ailment.
Sans Davis, the Lakers lost by 30 points in a contest that was effectively over in the second quarter.
The Purple and Gold will head home for Game 6 on Thursday, giving the team one more opportunity to save its season and keep its hopes of back-to-back NBA championships alive.
Although Davis’ status for that contest is unknown, he seemed to hint that he will play.
