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Thursday update: Davis is expected to be available for Game 6 against the Warriors Friday after he exited Game 5 late with a head injury. Chris Haynes is reporting Davis avoided a concussion but still needed to be evaluated further. If he does enter concussion protocol it’s unlikely he’s going to play but for now that appears to have been avoided.
Update: There’s no definitive diagnosis for Davis yet, but the early prognosis isn’t promising.
Lakers center Anthony Davis went to locker room in wheelchair after being elbowed in the face. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and Davis’ agent Rich Paul are huddled by the visiting locker room.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 11, 2023
The Lakers could just be proceeding with additional caution here, but there’s also the likelihood this is more severe than a routine swipe during the course of a game. Davis’ status ahead of Game 6 Friday will be a huge talking point among fans.
Update: According to Chris Haynes, Davis is done for the rest of the game with a head injury. The Lakers are down big, so they are unlikely to come back in this one. We’ll see if Davis has a major issue or if this is just for precautionary reasons once the team releases the injury report for Game 6 if needed.
Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis (head injury) will not return to tonight’s game.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 11, 2023
Los Angeles Lakers power forward Anthony Davis went to the locker room late in Game 5 Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors after taking a shot to the face on a rebound attempt. The Warriors are up double digits on the Lakers, so we’ll see if the team brings Davis back in this game.
Anthony Davis taken down the tunnel during the timeout. pic.twitter.com/0CcJWFdGYQ
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 11, 2023
The obvious fear here is that Davis suffered some sort of concussion or concussion-related injury, which could potentially sideline him for Game 6 Friday. The Lakers are going to be extra cautious with Davis, who has had his share of injuries over the years. Concussions, and head injuries in general, are nothing to mess around with. If the big man shows even the slightest signs of a setback, the Lakers probably hold him out of the remainder of this game.
Wenyen Gabriel would be next in line for minutes if Davis is sidelined, but the Lakers do have enough size with Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and LeBron James to avoid playing a true center as they try to come back in Game 5.