Los Angeles Lakers’ big man Anthony Davis was forced to leave early during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to an abdominal strain on Tuesday. The Lakers suffered a 118-104 loss after losing their talisman’s services.
Davis was subbed out with 2:10 remaining on the clock in the first quarter and at that stage, the Lakers were leading by 20-17. When it was confirmed that Davis would be ruled out for the rest of the game, the 76ers took a healthy lead of 73-57.
“When our best player goes out, it’s always challenging,” said LeBron James, who had 31 points but committed nearly as many turnovers (8) as the Sixers (9). “If he’s out from the beginning, then we have a game plan set. We know what to expect, we know what our lineup is going to be. But when AD or any one of our guys go down throughout the course of a game, it’s just tough.”
When asked about Davis’ status moving forward, James said, “I think he’ll be fine.”
The Lakers were able to cut down the lead to 12 points in the second half but LeBron James conceded back-to-back turnovers.
“We actually found something good in the second half, and then we just didn’t execute in two of those turnovers that he had were on those plays,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I attribute that to just a lot of fatigue.”
Before the game against the Sixers, Davis was averaging 32.8 points on 58.2% shooting, 15 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks during the Lakers’ four-game winning streak.
“He’s playing at a really high level right now,” Redick said of Davis before the Sixers game. “He’s got his pop and his juice back.”
The Lakers will next take on the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
