The Los Angeles Lakers have hit the ground running in the new year.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been spectacular this season thanks to their two superstars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Unfortunately, it appears they will be without Davis for at least the next two games after he suffered a nasty fall during the Lakers' 117-87 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Late in the third quarter, Davis went up to try and block a shot by Julius Randle, and was knocked off balance in mid-air. He crashed hard to the ground, and landed with a thud, right on his lower back. He immediately grabbed for the area, and writhed around on the floor in pain.
Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reported Davis suffered a sacral contusion, although X-rays were negative.
As for the Knicks, they have lost three in a row and are an ugly 10-27 on the campaign.
Notable Player Stats
- LAL F LeBron James: 31 points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals
- LAL F Kyle Kuzma: 16 points and six rebounds
- LAL F Anthony Davis: five points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks
- NYK G RJ Barrett: 19 points and five rebounds
Game Takes a Backseat to Injury Concern for Lakers
As it turns out, the Lakers' biggest health concern Tuesday was not the fact that James was a game-time decision because of an illness.
The King took the floor and was aggressive from the start, attacking the basket off the dribble, launching from deep when New York sagged off him and using his overpowering combination of strength and quickness to pour in 15 points in the first half alone as the Purple and Gold largely put the game away before intermission. BR