Anthony Davis exits with thumb sprain as Lakers lose to Nets

It’s over. After three controversy-filled days in China, the Los Angeles Lakers are headed back home to the United States. However, there was no time for celebration after Saturday morning’s matchup with the Brooklyn Nets.

Not only did the Lakers get blown out 91-77, but Anthony Davis exited the game in the first half with a sprained right thumb and didn’t return. Considering there was little reason to go forth with either game in the first place, Davis’ injury is a little irritating, but the fact that he played through it for a moment suggests it’s nothing too serious,

Davis will likely be re-evaluated by the team’s medical staff upon their return to Los Angeles.

When Davis was on the floor, he looked good — at least on the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, he struggled to get himself going, but the same was true for nearly everyone on the team on Saturday.

As a team, the Lakers shot a lowly 33.7 percent from the field, including 15.6 percent from 3-point range. Comparatively, the Nets shot 45.8 from the field and a respectable 37.1 from behind the arc.

In spite of head coach Frank Vogel’s decision to roll out a three-guard starting lineup, the Lakers once again struggled to defend the perimeter with Danny Green being one of the few exceptions. Even Alex Caruso looked a step slow on Saturday.

It’s early in the preseason, but some of the concerns about the team’s reliable defensive guards, or lack thereof, are starting to become legitimized.

Overall, though, the three-guard lineup looked engaged and it’s probably something worth re-visiting going forward, either as a starting or closing lineup.

The Lakers will gave the next few days to try and get healthy before their next preseason matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker are scheduled to be re-evaluated some time before then, so hopefully the team has some fresh new faces next time out.

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