Anthony Davis Injury and Lakers’ Dominant Victory
Los Angeles (AP) – Anthony Davis was forced to leave the Lakers’ game midway through the third quarter on Sunday night after taking a hit to the face while blocking a dunk attempt by Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl.
Davis Sidelined with Eye Injury
The nine-time All-Star was ruled out for the remainder of the game due to an eye injury. The Lakers, trailing by three points when the incident occurred, surged to a 123-103 victory despite the absence of their star big man.
“I just know that he got poked in (his left eye),” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “He was having trouble seeing. Obviously, take a little trauma to the eye, and it takes a little bit of time to get your clear vision back. But other than that, no update.”
How Davis Was Injured
Davis sustained the injury while making a sensational block on Poeltl’s dunk attempt with 5:16 left in the third quarter. Despite the crowd’s roar, Davis went down in obvious pain, holding his face. He stayed down for about a minute before walking to the locker room.
LeBron James Takes Charge
With Davis out, LeBron James stepped up, recording his 115th triple-double. The Lakers finished the final 17 minutes on a 53-30 run. James tallied 19 points, a season-high 16 assists, and 10 rebounds.
“AD is a big-time rebounder, so I had to pick up some of the slack with the defensive rebounding,” James said. “With AD out, I’m taking a lot of eyes that would be on AD because he’s putting so much pressure on defenses this season. I take some of that responsibility as well. Something I’ve been able to do for quite a while, so it’s not hard for me to be able to tap into that, even though that’s not been my role this year so far.”
Davis’s Injury History
Davis suffered a similar injury in March, a corneal abrasion, during a game against Golden State. Despite the painful injury, he didn’t miss any games, returning two days later.
Lakers’ Resilient Performance
Davis is having an outstanding start to the season, sparking early Kia MVP talk. He began the night leading the NBA in scoring with 32.4 points per game, along with 11.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He had already tallied 22 points, four rebounds, and two blocks before getting hurt against the Raptors.
Jaxson Hayes Steps Up
Jaxson Hayes took Davis’s spot in the rotation and quickly made an impact, contributing three dunks and a layup. Hayes, the only other player taller than 6-foot-9 on the Lakers’ roster, finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
“It requires more from everyone else,” Redick said. “Jaxson stepped up to that moment, played both ends of the court and gave us a few extra possessions. Just his energy, I thought, really uplifted the group.”
Upcoming Games
Davis missed last Wednesday’s game in Memphis with a bruised left heel. Despite his long history of injury problems, he played in a career-high 76 games last season. The Lakers’ next game is Wednesday night at home, also against the Grizzlies.
