Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis will miss at least a week of action after suffering an abdominal muscle strain.
The injury occurred in the first half of Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Davis had been on a hot streak of late, including piling up 21 points and 11 rebounds in the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets en route to a 42-point, 23-rebound performance.
The Lakers are 26-19 on the season.
LAKERS MEDICAL UPDATE:
Lakers forward Anthony Davis underwent an MRI today that confirmed an abdominal muscle strain. The injury occurred in the first quarter of Tuesday night’s game at Philadelphia.
Davis will return to Los Angeles today and be re-evaluated in approximately…
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 29, 2025
Life Without AD Could Be Treacherous
Davis has only missed three games so far this season. The Lakers are 2-1 in those games, with wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and Brooklyn Nets.
Their next game is against the Washington Wizards, so there is hope. But lineup data suggests things could become a struggle for however long Davis is out.
It isn’t a significant sample size, but the Lakers have a negative net rating when LeBron James and Austin Reaves share the floor without Davis. That was more than evident over the course of their loss Tuesday to a Sixers team missing both Joel Embiid and Paul George. Granted, it was the second night of a back-to-back on the road and Los Angeles was without some rotation players beyond Davis’ absence.
LeBron’s Microscope Gets Bigger
There has been plenty of chatter this season presents the most obvious signs that James — at 40 years old — is finally showing real signs of significant decline.
For the year, the Lakers are 11 points worse when James is on the floor, whcih could be made all the more glaring with Davis sidelined.
The counting stats are still there at 23.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game. But the top-tier impact has been largely lacking and understandably so, given his age and many years in the league.
