Anthony Davis has been leading the Lakers squad toward a postseason berth ever since LeBron James was out. If it were not for AD, they would still be lingering at the bottom of the Western Conference. When James sustained the tendon injury back on February 26, the Lakers were the 11th seed on the table. Apparently, it was Anthony Davis who came to the rescue of the Lakers, and they gradually started to climb up. Indeed he got solid support from the young Lakers like, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dennis Schroder, and so on.
But if AD as an experienced campaigner, would not show these young guns the way, then none of these performances would have been possible. The Lakers are currently fighting for the 6th seed as they are 7th now. It is because of the eight-time All-Star Anthony Davis. Even when James is back, the Brow is playing the role of the leader. After King James came back, the Lakers won two and lost one, AD was their top scorer.
How Bad Is Anthony Davis’ Latest Injury?
The last night’s game against the Timberwolves was a crucial one for the Lakers. They are going to be on the road for a while, and they need to win as many games as possible. In the middle of the game, the squad fell behind, and AD hurt his ankle while trying to get a rebound. It was a moment of truth for the Lakers fans who had their heart in their mouth. Naturally, if the Brow misses another bunch of games, then the season is over for the Lakers. But he came back with a bang as he finished with another 38 points and 17 rebounds match.
The most intriguing part is that he scored the majority of those points after he hurt his ankle against Timberwolves. That shows how important AD is to the team. Even D’Angelo Russell mentioned, “nobody dares say anything bad about AD. He hurt his ankle, and then he returned with a lot of courage. He showed real toughness.” Russell was a big help last night for him, as he had ten assists. However, AD has got the most number of games with 35+ points and 15+ rebounds in the NBA. He has earned seven this season. And not just Russell, the Lakers’ fam was also happy to see the Brow’s dedication to the team and held the ace for his contribution to the win.
"Y'all can't say nothing about 3… that dude came out, showed toughness." @Dloading praises Anthony Davis' resiliency after he rolled his ankle. @LakersReporter pic.twitter.com/y6Vx05u74v
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 1, 2023
Anthony Davis with a dominant performance in the win for the No. 7 seed Lakers!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 1, 2023
38 PTS | 17 REB | 58% FGpic.twitter.com/TAHu6RChKo
AD is just trying tough it out but that ankle is hurt. Will be interesting to see how it responds over night.
— Bonez 🇻🇨🇧🇧♍️ (@MtBonez) April 1, 2023
AD is tough man I don’t care what anyone says
— 𝐓. (@BangBangLakers) April 1, 2023
LeBron James Playing The Supporting Role
Meanwhile, LeBron James is still playing supporting roles to Anthony Davis. In the last game against the Timberwolves, James scored only 18 points. But he covered the deficit with 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. Apparently, Coach Darvin Ham seems to be preparing for the playoffs as he reduced the rotation in the 2nd half of the game.
Now, the Lakers have comparatively an easy remaining schedule. It seems like the purple and gold brigade is making full use of it. With a victory, the Lakers are inching closer to the playoff seeds. Currently, they are a seed down to the Warriors. If the Lakers can overtake them, then they might make the playoffs directly, avoiding the play-in tournament.
