Lakers Injury Report: Anthony Davis Availability Revealed Vs Golden State
All-Star Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis will not suit up tonight against the Golden State Warriors due to a headache and nausea, reports Jovan Buha of The Athletic. One assumes these symptoms are related to the left eye injury he suffered against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson on Sunday, which caused him to depart the eventual 127-117 loss in the first quarter.
With The Brow on the shelf tonight (and fellow All-Star frontcourt staple LeBron James potentially joining him there?), LA will need all the help it can get from some of the team's normal reserves. Jaxson Hayes drew the bulk of center minutes when Davis departed the Timberwolves game for good, and performed admirably, scoring 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor while grabbing 10 rebounds and snagging a personal-best five steals. He looked so good that his play had starting LA point guard D'Angelo Russell speculating that he could decline his current player option for the 2024-25 season to earn more money as an unrestricted free agent.
Given that Davis is out, Hayes seems like the likeliest option to replace him at center. There's also a chance head coach Darvin Ham opts to stay a bit smaller, given that the 6'6" Green will be manning the middle across from him. 6'8" power forward Rui Hachimura could get the starting five nod, and Ham could opt to elevate more of a floor-spacing reserve, with 3-and-D wing Taurean Prince making the most sense, especially if James sits.
