NBA
The Los Angeles Lakers are shorthanded without Anthony Davis
The Los Angeles Lakers have five players out due to covid-19, as well as several others due to injuries, including Anthony Davis who is out for a month.
A series of unfortunate events has been hovering over the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the 2021 NBA season.
Besides several players missing games due to covid-19 and others missing due to injuries, including the most recently injured Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza, the Lakers have just been slammed with another obstacle, Anthony Davis.
Anthony Davis out
Davis, the all-Star forward-center, was diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his left knee on Saturday, after suffering a painful injury in Friday’s 110-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Davis, who averages 23.3 points and 9.9 rebounds, struggles with his mid-range game as he is shooting just 17.9% on 3-pointers. It is not the first time for the 28-year-old to stay out due to an injury; in 2020 he only played 36 of 72 games, and the season before he only finished 56 of 82 games.
The Lakers announced that Davis will be out for a few weeks and will be re-evaluated in a month, which could not have come at a worse time for the Los Angeles team.
Los Angeles is 16-14 and in sixth place in the Western Conference. Davis’s injury, along with other health and injury problems the Lakers are facing, puts pressure on Los Angeles to make a deal that helps them get back on their feet before the Feb. 10 trade deadline.
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Lakers: five players in safety protocols, several players injured
Five Lakers players, including Talen Horton-Tucker, Russell Westbrook and defensive specialist Avery Bradley have been added to the health and safety protocols related to covid-19. Kendrick Nunn, who has been out with a knee injury and hasn't played in a single game this season, has now entered safety protocols as well, and Trevor Ariza still see no progress with his injuries so far.
Isaiah Thomas 10-day contract
Due to those notable absences, and a desperate need for an emerging move, Los Angeles signed veteran guard Isaiah Thomas, who has not played in the NBA since last season, to a 10-day contract.
Bringing Thomas out of the G League was a hardship exception granted to the Lakers who brought the 32-year-old straight to Minneapolis against the Timberwolves.
While the Lakers are looking for temporary solutions, and are forced to play without Davis for quite some time, the California team is still shorthanded.