Anthony Davis

Lakers star big man Anthony Davis suffered a right foot injury in Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets and did not return after halftime.

[Patrick Beverley](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3964/patrick-beverley) (10 points on 4-for-6 shooting) both reached season highs in points. blowing a 13-point fourth-quarter lead against Boston on Tuesday, the thought of potentially playing without Davis for any stretch of time isn't something the Lakers are prepared for. So, we'll make the adjustment accordingly, but we haven't done it, so we don't know what that would look like." "Just trying to do whatever I can to make the person next to me better," Westbrook said. "I mean obviously, health is always first when it comes to any of our teammates," James said. James, who turns 38 later this month, became the oldest player since Michael Jordan in 2002 to score 30 or more in three straight games, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information research. Davis played just eight minutes in Cleveland during the Lakers' recent road trip before exiting with a fever and cold symptoms. stepped up for one of its most complete team wins of the season. "I don't want to speak on it until I know exactly what's going on," Ham said. Davis left for the night without speaking to reporters. The Lakers had seven players reach double-digit scoring, led by He will likely undergo an MRI for further evaluation.

In staying healthy, Davis has also played perhaps the best basketball of his career. He is averaging 28.1 points and a league-best 12.4 rebounds per game for ...

[Thomas Bryant](/nba/players/2202681/thomas-bryant/) has shown promise as a backup lately, asking him to play the sort of minutes Davis does is unreasonable. In that vein, the last two games Davis has missed have been half of a back-to-back. Davis has carried the Lakers this season. Davis wound up playing 17 minutes in the first half, but he did not come back onto the court for the second. [Anthony Davis](/nba/players/1992786/anthony-davis/) has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. They have been 11 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor this season, and while

Lakers star big man Anthony Davis injured his right foot Friday night against Denver.

[Wenyen Gabriel](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/wenyen-gabriel-r8zgk7urDgmH0hNc/), [Thomas Bryant](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/thomas-bryant-dq4B2s0HiwRTR3cB/) and [Damian Jones](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/damian-jones-UMnCOlAwvmwVZkdt/) backing him up. The Lakers will likely play smaller with James at center — as they did last season and have at times this season — which pushes them to play at a faster pace in a five-out scheme that’s difficult to defend. He also leads them in net rating differential (a difference of 11.0 points per 100 possessions), as the Lakers have a team-worst -7.9 net rating when Davis is off the floor. Among the Lakers’ rotation regulars, Davis leads the team in net rating (the Lakers are plus-3.1 points per 100 possessions with Davis), per NBA.com. [Lakers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/lakers/) star [Anthony Davis](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/anthony-davis-YhDofdcmUKoYKV18/) exited Friday’s game against the [Denver Nuggets](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/nuggets/) and was later ruled out with a right foot injury, the team announced. The downside is that it’s more physically taxing on James and the Lakers’ shaky defensive rebounding and rim protection will be even greater concerns. His absence is massive for a team that already is lacking in size, rim protection and reliable minutes from their bigs. They face the Without knowing the severity or specifics of the injury, it’s unclear how much time, if any at all, Davis will miss. [Wizards](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/wizards/), [Suns](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/suns/) (road), [Kings](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/sac-kings/) (road), [Hornets](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/hornets/), [Mavericks](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/mavericks/) (road), [Magic](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/magic/) (road), [Heat](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/heat/) (road) and [Hawks](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/hawks/) (road) through the rest of December. Gabriel, who’s been the Lakers’ second-best big this season, is day-to-day with a shoulder injury and could return Sunday vs. Here’s what you need to know:

Piling up points and delivering wins for their respective teams, Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson enter the MVP conversation.

[Last week’s ranking:](https://www.nba.com/news/kia-mvp-ladder-dec-9-2022-edition) No. [a signature win](https://www.nba.com/game/mil-vs-mem-0022200425) for Morant and the Grizzlies. [a triple-double](https://www.nba.com/game/uta-vs-den-0022200393) in a win against Utah, followed by a [43-point double-double](https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1603255494361096192?s=20&t=Oup2HXt1EgIaun3m33bnNQ) (with five steals) in Wednesday’s victory against Washington. Morant would finish with a [25-point triple-double](https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1603596042544746496?s=20&t=kvQlitWo4LbxlBop0ZXHBA) (his third triple-double over the last seven games) in just 26 minutes of action. the Wizards, Malone presented the reigning back-to-back MVP with the inaugural [Michael Jordan Trophy](https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1603257977716162560?s=20&t=Oup2HXt1EgIaun3m33bnNQ). [ended at eight games](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203507/boxscores-traditional?DateFrom=11%2F21%2F2022&DateTo=12%2F09%2F2022) and he’s struggled lately overall, hitting a combined 21-for-56 from the floor over Milwaukee’s last three games. Welcome back into the MVP conversation. [44 points](https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1603018217005408259?s=20&t=aU2k1a8Y5U7JtjyyDAwHYA) Tuesday (as well as nine rebounds and six assists) in an OT win against the Lakers. Los Angeles led by 13 points with nearly four minutes remaining on Tuesday, but Boston went on a 17-4 run that Tatum finished off with the game-tying [turnaround fadeaway jumper](https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1602915798091468801?s=20&t=aU2k1a8Y5U7JtjyyDAwHYA) over LeBron James that sent the game into OT. Williamson has an active streak of 11 games shooting 50% or better from the field during which he’s averaged 28.5 points and 9.8 rebounds. The Brooklyn Nets have won eight of 10 games to move into fourth in the Eastern Conference. Welcome back into the MVP conversation, Kevin Durant.

On Friday night, the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers are facing off in California. For the game, the Lakers will have their two best players available ...

They are 7-3 in their last ten games and in the middle of a three-game winning streak. As for the Nuggets, they are the third seed in the Western Conference with a 17-10 record in 27 games. They are the 12th seed in the Western Conference and 5-5 in their last ten games. At home, the Lakers have gone 6-7 in the 13 games they have hosted in Los Angeles, California. Right now, the Lakers are 11-16 in their first 27 games, which has them as the 11th seed in the Western Conference. [Denver Nuggets](https://www.si.com/nba/team/denver-nuggets) and [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.si.com/nba/team/los-angeles-lakers) are facing off in California.

Anthony Davis has been ruled out for the remainder of Friday's game between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles.

In 2020, he helped them win the NBA Championship, but in 2021, they lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and last season they missed the playoffs. Davis is in his fourth season with the franchise. They are currently the 12th seed in the Western Conference with an 11-16 record in 27 games.

Without their star, the Lakers banded together to stun the favored Nuggets. But how will they survive an extended Anthony Davis absence?

[Wenyen Gabriel](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/wenyen-gabriel-r8zgk7urDgmH0hNc/), Bryant and [Damian Jones](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/damian-jones-UMnCOlAwvmwVZkdt/) as the other big-man options. Of course, the downside to James at center is that the position is more physically taxing on him if its not deployed selectively. [Denver Nuggets](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/nuggets/) on Friday night began, the [Lakers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/lakers/) had a new center. The Lakers will likely play smaller with James at center — as they did last season and have at times this season — which forces them to play at a faster pace and with a five-out offensive scheme that can be difficult for most opposing defenses to defend. He also led them in net rating differential (a difference of 11.0 points per 100 possessions), as they have a team-worst -7.9 net rating when he is off the floor. Entering Friday’s game, Davis led the team in net rating (the Lakers are plus-3.1 points per 100 possessions with Davis on the floor), per NBA.com. Though the Lakers won without him on Friday, it will obviously be challenging for them to do so repeatedly without their best player. Bryant (21 points on 9-of-11 shooting) and [Patrick Beverley](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/patrick-beverley-un2M7ixIUPcicY97/) (10 points on 4-of-6 shooting) posted season-high point totals. It goes without saying that the Lakers are in big trouble if the injury is serious enough to require a lengthy absence. But if there were ever a time the Lakers could afford Davis missing a handful of games, this might be it. [Dennis Schröder](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/dennis-schroder-Prd7BnWIcVC7T4mJ/) scored 15 points and looked more like his 2020-21 self. This is the play Davis got hurt on: 4:34 mark of the first quarter.

The American professional basketball player, Anthony Davis is going to have an MRI test after suffering a right foot injury during the Friday match with ...

[Thomas Bryant](/topic/thomas-bryant)took over his position in the third quarter and completed with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting, 4 rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes. When Davis moved out of the game in the first quarter to receive immediate medical attention after the injury, the score was 2:40. He suffered the injury while playing a match against [Denver Nuggets](/topic/denver-nuggets)on December 16, where his team scored a 126-108 victory.

The oft-injured Davis, who has been enjoying a resurgent season, will miss Sunday's game against the Wizards.

The Lakers have experimented with some smaller lineups in recent weeks and may look to play even faster with Bryant, a rim-running center who has played limited minutes after spending the past four seasons with the Wizards. The Lakers also owe their first-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of [the Lakers’ dreadful 2-10 start](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/10/lebron-james-groin-injury-lakers/?itid=lk_inline_manual_16), Davis’s stellar two-way play had been essential to their turnaround, which included an 8-2 stretch in late November and early December. 1 overall pick faced a crossroads](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/29/anthony-davis-lakers-disappointing-seasons/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10) after appearing in 76 total games over the previous two seasons because of injuries. After winning his first championship in 2020, Davis suffered a season-ending groin injury during the 2021 playoffs and missed more than half of last season with knee and foot injuries as the Lakers missed the postseason altogether. Davis was expected to undergo an MRI on Saturday, but the Lakers didn’t immediately release an update with the results of follow-up testing or a recovery timeline.

When Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center Anthony Davis collided with Denver Nuggets MVP big man Nikola Jokic midway through the first quarter of last night's ...

Though the Lakers managed to pull off perhaps their single-most impressive victory of the year, especially considering the absence of Davis in the second half (it's this or the Milwaukee Bucks road win), AD's fellow All-Star big man LeBron James cautioned that losing the team's best player could prove costly for L.A. "Our team is built on having pretty much everyone," James said, per McMenamin. McMenamin notes that Lakers head coach Darvin Ham told reporters that Davis got X-rays last night. He eventually departed for the team locker room and would not play at all during the game's second half. Bryant had 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor, plus six rebounds. [Dave McMenamin of ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35267959/lakers-anthony-davis-misses-second-half-due-right-foot-injury) reports that Davis will sit for the team's upcoming rematch against the Washington Wizards tomorrow at home with what the team is calling "right foot soreness."

After suffering a right foot injury on Friday night, Lakers All-Star power forward Anthony Davis will undergo an MRI to learn the extent of the damage.

The best case scenario is that it is something that can be ok with a few days’ rest. So, we’ll make the adjustment accordingly, but we haven’t done it, so we don’t know what that would look like.” Davis was subbed out late in the first quarter and received medical attention.