When Anthony Davis woke up on Sunday morning, it was the first time in days that his right Achilles tendon felt fine. It stayed that way through midday, through the afternoon, all the way up to the Lakers’ 7 p.m. tip with the Nuggets.
But once you return to the court, you can’t control everything.
A mid-game collision between Davis and Denver star Nikola Jokic seemed incidental and perhaps even glancing at first: The two big men knocked legs as Davis attempted to drive against Jokic toward the basket. But Davis pulled up grimacing, having aggravated the right calf that has troubled him recently.
After sinking two free throws, Davis gingerly walked off the court, favoring his right ankle and heading straight to the locker room. He did not return to the game after scoring 15 points in just 14 minutes. Kyle Kuzma started the third quarter in his place.
The Lakers officially announced that Davis had aggravated the injury which they had previously called tendonosis. An initial exam determined it’s now an Achilles strain, but an MRI on Monday in Minneapolis will clarify the picture for the Lakers and the 27-year-old star, who spoke to the media after the Lakers fell 122-105.
“It just felt like we was headed in the right direction on the treatment side, the rehab side,” Davis said. “Another setback on it, but it’s a part of the game. Just moreso frustrating that I’m not able to go out there and play, you don’t want to mess around with this type of injury.”
Davis hadn’t looked worse for the rest since returning Friday in a 35-point effort against the Memphis Grizzlies, but even after the game, he acknowledged he was still feeling pain there. Several times during the contest, he flexed his ankle as if working out stiffness there.
Davis said his condition — which the Lakers have reported as tendonosis but which Davis said was not affecting his tendon directly but a related part of the anatomy — would improve with rest, but he was also trying to play through some of his discomfort. While he said he would likely be even more cautious in his approach to returning to the floor this time around, Davis didn’t second-guess the decision to play based on how he had been feeling with treatment on his calf three times a day.
“All of today it felt great. It felt great in the first quarter. It felt great from the time I was in in the second quarter until the last play,” he said. “So, I think it’s just the way I moved and stepped kind of re-aggravated that injury. But I don’t think I rushed to come back.”
Davis has already missed five games this season since signing a max contract with the Lakers in December. He came into Sunday’s game averaging 22.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. The team is 4-1 without him.
Davis said he had iced his tendon after the game, and is wearing heel inserts to take stress off the joint. At night, he’s wearing a sleeve that keep his foot flexed so it doesn’t shorten his tendon.
Frank Vogel said coaches were trying to be attentive to Davis’ discomfort. The Lakers intended to ramp up Davis’ minutes earlier as the season progressed, but noted that it hasn’t been possible with Davis’ nagging injuries.
“We came into the ramp-up thinking, ‘Let’s play the first nine and maybe the second seven or eight of the second quarter, and we’ll build up,’ he said. “But we haven’t really been able to build up because he’s been having these minor setbacks with these nagging injuries. So we’re still in that space with him, and obviously if he’s having discomfort on the court, and we need to get him out, we’ll get him out.”
Within the team, there won’t be a crushing call for Davis to return before he’s ready. Vogel said he has confidence in his team, including Kuzma, to step up collectively in Davis’ absence: “We’re gonna win games, that’s the first thing we’re gonna do,” he said.
Davis has been labeled in his career as “injury prone,” a label that Davis said he’s tried fighting back against. He played 75 games in back-to-back seasons in New Orleans, and last season with the Lakers, Davis played in 62 of 71 games and fought his way through injuries in the playoffs. He prides himself on trying to be available, which he says LeBron James, one of the league’s iron men, has helped him with.
“I go out there and try to compete at the highest level and do what I can to help this team, and so if that means me going out there and playing through some minor bumps and bruises, then that’s what it is,” he said. “But this one is a little different that I definitely have to be smart with.”
NBA ref sidelined for COVID-19 protocols
An NBA rarity took place on Sunday night as the Lakers-Nuggets game was officiated with two referees.
The NBA announced prior to the game that crew chief James Williams was not available due to health and safety protocols. Mark Ayotte and Jacyn Goble officiated with a two-man team. NBA games had previously been officiated by two referees before the 1988-99 season.
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