Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis left Wednesday night’s win against the Golden State Warriors early after spraining his left ankle on the street. It was later discarded, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Davis missed the line while going for a rebound at the Chase Center in the first quarter of the Christmas Day matchup, severely twisting his left ankle. He didn’t make contact with anyone on the street, but Davis immediately fell to the court clutching his ankle. He remained on the ground clearly in a lot of pain as the game went the other way.
Davis remained in the game for the next few possessions and attempted to play, but was seen limping quite a bit as he did so. Finally, at the next timeout, Davis left the court and went directly to the locker room.
The Lakers initially said it was questionable for Davis to return due to his ankle injury, but ruled him out late in the third quarter. He finished with two rebounds and no points after going 0 for 3 from the field. Davis entered Wednesday’s game averaging 26.6 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
Anthony Davis to ESPN: “I’ll be fine. On Saturday I play against SAC”
– Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 26, 2024
Despite losing Davis, the Lakers jumped ahead in the final minutes of the second quarter and took a 55-52 lead into halftime, ultimately winning 115-113. LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to eclipse 500 career points in his 19th game on Christmas Day, finishing Wednesday night’s game with 31 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 robberies.