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The Los Angeles Lakers got a major scare late in the fourth quarter of their 124-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on the final day of the regular season when All-Star forward Anthony Davis left with hip and back spasms. There was relief after the game, however, when Davis said there’s “no doubt” that he’ll be ready for the team’s Play-In Tournament game against the Pelicans on Tuesday night.
With just under six minutes to play in the frame, Davis crashed the offensive glass after a missed layup by Gabe Vincent and took a nudge in the back from Larry Nance Jr. While the play looked somewhat innocuous, Davis landed a bit awkwardly and had to leave the game a few possessions later.
He walked gingerly towards the sideline and initially laid down next to the scorer’s table, where he received some assistance from the team’s medical staff. After getting to his feet, he then went down the tunnel and towards the team’s locker room.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Davis was dealing with hip and back spasms, which Ham later confirmed during his post-game press conference. Ham added that the issue was “nothing major” and he was “extremely optimistic” that Davis would not miss any time.
Davis has had extensive injury problems during his time with the Lakers, but was able to solve them this season as he tied his career-high with 75 games played. After putting up 30 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday, Davis finished the season averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game.
Thanks to their win on Sunday, the Lakers finished 47-35, which was good enough for eighth place in the Western Conference. That means they’ll head to the Play-In Tournament, where they’ll meet the Pelicans in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 seed game on Tuesday. The winner will earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, while the loser will face the winner of the No….
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