Although tonight’s matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans will naturally bring back memories of the trade that didn’t happen between the two teams, the key figure in the saga will not play on Saturday night.
The Pelicans announced on Saturday afternoon that they would be resting Anthony Davis as the team is on a back-to-back after having played last night in Indianapolis. Davis played only 20 minutes in Friday night’s game and he was dealing with a shoulder injury that kept his action in the All-Star Game to five minutes.
Davis being out is ultimately a good thing for the Lakers as they won’t have to deal with his two-way excellence. However, the Lakers defense doesn’t get a night off. Jrue Holiday is having another excellent season and Jahlil Okafor has racked up a lot of 20/10 games when standing in for Davis.
The assignment for the Lakers just got a little easier, but that hasn’t stopped them from disappointing in these situations this season.
