Camila Sosa
In a mix of good and bad news for the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis is getting closer and closer to taking part in a full practice earlier with the team, while it is not so sure yet that LeBron James will play against the Dallas Mavericks tonight, a very important game for the pretensions of entering the postseason for the team.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James’ Situations
Since February 16, the 29-year-old center has not participated in an NBA game after suffering a sprain in the middle of his right foot after falling on Utah Jazz center star Rudy Gobert while fighting a split ball in the air. Davis was expected to be absent for at least four weeks and, even though he’s already practicing with the team, the Lakers will remain cautious with their second superstar.
As for King James, there is not much to say, he suffered an injury to his left ankle which does not have a specific diagnosis yet but which he himself described as “a terrible feeling” after losing to the New Orleans Pelicans last Sunday. So, this will be a decision that the Lakers coaching staff will make at the time of the game to define whether LeBron is able to play considering his physical condition. James has also been dealing with a left knee injury throughout the campaign.
Both stars are officially listed as “doubtful” by the organization’s communications team for the game against the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Without a doubt, this is a key game for the Lakers (31-43) that has already been surpassed by New Orleans (32-43) for the ninth place in the Western Conference, and having the possibility of losing the tenth (and last place of qualification to the NBA play-in tournament) at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs of Gregg Popovich (31-44), by separating them only half a game of difference.
The return of Davis (23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks in 37 games) and the security of having LeBron back (30.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks in 55 games) at 100% of his physical capacity would be crucial for the team that has lost 12 of their last 16 games (which coincides with the date Anthony Davis got injured).
With a more complicated schedule than San Antonio for the remainder of the campaign (the Lakers face eight teams, with six of them having a positive record), the possibility of the gold-and-purple-coloured team being left out of the postseason seems more realistic than ever.
