Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ $19- million man, winced as he pushed his frame ever-so-slightly off the court during a free throw Sunday in Denver, his eyes darting down to his right leg.
Davis received an ultrasound on his right Achilles tendon a week ago and would miss the next two games as a result. The diagnosis was “Achilles tendonosis.” The prognosis was ultimately “no big deal.”
“I’m able to just go out there and play and not worry about it,” Davis said Friday after returning to the court.
But as Davis stood at the free-throw line in the first half, waiting for his teammates to find someone to foul so he could hobble off the court, how could you not worry?
The Lakers (21-7) eventually lost 122-105 to the Nuggets (15-11), snapping a seven-game winning streak. It was only the third loss on the road this season for the Lakers.
Davis gingerly walked himself to the team’s locker room, cautious of every step he made with his right leg, aware of each pound pressed down onto his foot.
Minutes earlier, as he tried to drive past Denver center Nikola Jokic, Davis’ mouth shot open in pain as he planted — one wrong step with the potential to change the Lakers’ season. Davis stayed in the game, shot two free throws and hobbled off the court.
The team diagnosed him with a right Achilles strain. He’ll undergo a MRI exam on Monday — the credibility of the team’s championship hopes tied to the test’s results.
The injury came as Davis finally started to look like the game-changing player he’s capable of being, having scored 15 points on 11 shots — the Lakers’ star finally committing to finding his offense after a season so far of mostly passive play.
The signs of a breakout came Friday against the Grizzlies when Davis gritted and grinded through a slow start in his first game back after being sidelined for two. He missed his first five shots against Memphis — the kind of thing that had forced Davis into a bit of an offensive retreat as he tried to work himself into rhythm early in the season.
But against the Grizzlies, he kept pushing, kept shooting and finished with 35 points — his 27 attempts the most he’d taken in a game this season.
After playing nearly 35 minutes on Friday against Memphis, Davis left the game late with some soreness in the Achilles, he said.
“It felt great going into the game. But as you play, I’m always using that Achilles tendon,” he said after the win over Memphis. “It got sore towards the end from just constantly moving on it.”
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