Lakers star Anthony Davis sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game in Golden State. After initially being deemed questionable to return, he was later ruled out, the team announced (Twitter
links via Dave McMenamin of ESPN).
Davis, who has a history of foot injuries and has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot for several weeks, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, simply took an awkward step and had his ankle roll (YouTube link). There was no contact on the play.
While it’s never a great sign when a player is unable to return after suffering an injury, this one doesn’t sound very serious. Davis was able to walk without additional support following the ankle sprain and is considered day-to-day going forward, according to ESPN’s McMenamin, who reports (via Twitter) that the nine-time All-Star will be reevaluated prior to Saturday’s game vs. Sacramento.
Davis, who was initially listed as questionable for the Christmas matchup with the Warriors due to a left shoulder contusion before suiting up, has often been derided for missing games throughout his career. However, he’s been pretty durable the past two seasons, appearing in 76 games in 2023-24 and only missing one full game to this point in ’24-25.
Guard D’Angelo Russell, who is dealing with a sprained left thumb, wound up missing the game. He was also questionable before being ruled out.
With Davis out and multiple other frontcourt members (Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes) sidelined with their own respective injuries, head coach JJ Redick opted to go small, with LeBron James shifting up to center. Christian Koloko, who is on a two-way deal, also played nine minutes in the middle.
