Los Angeles Lakers standout player Anthony Davis will not participate in the rest of the game against the Golden State Warriors due to an eye injury. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Davis suffered an eye contusion, as Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin added that Davis had impaired vision and a swollen eye after the incident. His availability for the next game against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday will be determined after monitoring him overnight and into Sunday.
The injury occurred when Davis was accidentally poked in the eye by Trayce Jackson-Davis, a forward for the Warriors while driving to the basket in the first quarter. Before leaving the game, Davis scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds, and provided two assists in just 12 minutes of play.
Although Davis has been relatively durable this season, playing in the most games since the 2019-20 season, he did miss a game on January 30 against the Atlanta Hawks and another on February 1 against the Boston Celtics due to hip and Achilles injuries.
Darvin Ham says Anthony Davis was elbowed in the eye and wasn’t able to see out of his left eye. The Lakers’ doctors were working on his eye into halftime but he wasn’t able to be cleared to return.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 17, 2024
The Lakers’ hopes of improving their position in the standings and becoming playoff contenders could be affected by Davis’ ongoing hip issues, which have been a concern since November. Currently, the team is struggling, sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 36-31 record.
Despite the team’s struggles, Davis has been performing well this season, averaging 24.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game in 63 appearances. His shooting percentages are 55.2% from the field and 26.3% from the three-point range.
Anthony Davis poked in the eye pic.twitter.com/qGOj05yzA3
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 17, 2024
To make a push for the playoffs, the Lakers will need Davis to stay healthy alongside LeBron James. However, other players on the team, such as D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie, must also step up if they hope to compete with teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and the defending NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets.