After a disastrous road trip in which they lost four out of five games, the Los Angeles Lakers righted the ship with two big home wins over the Sixers and the Raptors. Having improved to 6-4 for the season, the Lakers feel good about their postseason prospects.
However, as is often the case with the Lakers, there is a slight injury concern. Midway through the third quarter in the win over Toronto on Sunday, Anthony Davis left the game after getting hit in the face by Jakob Poeltl. Davis went to the locker room and never returned.
After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided an update on the star big man. He said that Davis couldn't see after getting poked in the eye and was taking some time to get his vision fully back.
JJ Redick says Anthony Davis temporarily lost his vision, which is one of the reasons why he didn’t return
— CourtSideHeat (@courtsideheat) November 11, 2024
He also said there is no update on Davis’s new injury pic.twitter.com/HarPxS06qn
ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin added more details to the injury. He said that Davis experienced swelling after the hit to the eye and was having trouble keeping his left eye open. He is reportedly getting an eye examination on Monday.
Sources told ESPN that Lakers big man Anthony Davis experienced swelling as a result of the contact by Jakob Poeltl, making it difficult to keep his left eye open. Davis will have the eye examined by an ophthalmologist Monday, sources told ESPN, as a “precautionary” measure.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 11, 2024
Davis is no stranger to eye injuries. He suffered a corneal abrasion in his left eye back in March. He had to leave that game but was able to return for the next matchup without missing any time.
The All-Star center should be able to play, perhaps wearing protective eyewear, in the Lakers' next outing against the Memphis Grizzlies. However, with Davis, it's always good to be cautious as he has a history of lingering ailments. He has missed the previous game against Philadelphia with a heel injury.
Davis has been having the best offensive season of his career this season, averaging 32.4 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. The Lakers need him to be his fully healthy self to continue being a competitive team night in and night out.