Anthony Davis says he plans to play vs. Trail Blazers

Every time Anthony Davis hits the floor is cause, it’s concerning. That’s been true ever since the Los Angeles Lakers traded for him in 2019, but it’s been especially true with LeBron James and Dennis Schröder sidelined, and with the team looking to avoid a play-in spot.

Davis had a scary fall when the Lakers played the LA Clippers on Friday, but he stayed in the game. It wasn’t until shortly after that he exited the contest with back spasms. Davis didn’t return, but after the game, he did his best to calm any anxiety that fans may have about his health.

“The ankle is fine,” Davis said. “I tweaked it but it wasn’t bothering me. The back locked up pretty bad, that’s it. I couldn’t really move. It feels better now and we’ll see how it is tomorrow.

“I should be good to go tomorrow based on how I’m feeling now. I’m still going to wake up and test it out but my plan is to go tomorrow.”

Davis added that stakes of Friday’s game could give him the extra “juice” he’ll need to play, and for good reason.

On Friday, the Lakers will play the Portland Trail Blazers, who are the No. 7 seed despite the fact that they have the same record as the Lakers. Obviously that will when one of them wins on Friday, but in the event they end the regular reason with the same record, the winner of Friday’s game would hold the tiebreaker. That’s notable when you consider the Lakers already lost their tiebreaker with the Dallas Mavericks.

Davis might not be his full-self just yet, but he still gives the Lakers their best shot at winning a game without James in the starting lineup, so hopefully he feels as good, if not better, than he felt after Thursday’s game.

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