DETROIT — The Los Angeles Lakers’ good 3-0 begin to the season already looks like a very long time in the past.
Monday’s 115-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons dropped L.A. to 4-3 total and 1-3 on their five-game street journey. Making issues worse, Anthony Davis, who scored 37 in opposition to Detroit to up his lead-leading common to 32.6 factors per recreation, was examined after aggravating a left foot harm within the fourth quarter.
“I will speak to my coach and simply type of work out what precisely is occurring,” Davis stated after the sport. “I have been managing it since this summer time, actually, and my aim for each recreation is to be on the ground. And I simply type of landed instantly on the spot that is been killing me. So, we’ll determine it out.”
Davis has not been dominated out of the Lakers’ recreation on the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday to conclude the journey, sources advised ESPN. Nevertheless, these sources cautioned, with the foot difficulty plaguing the All-Star massive man from the top of final season via the Paris Olympics, it will likely be a day-to-day state of affairs.
Davis caught an entry cross from LeBron James to attain with 4:46 remaining in Monday’s contest to attract L.A. — which trailed by as many as 20 within the first half — inside 103-96. However the bucket got here with a consequence. When Davis planted his foot after leaping to catch the cross, the discomfort occurred, and he winced as he made his approach again down the court docket on protection.
The Lakers referred to as timeout 20 seconds later when James collected the rebound on a Tobias Harris miss, and Davis instantly went to the ground, grabbing in the back of his left foot close to the heel earlier than receiving medical consideration from his athletic coach, Jon Ishop. Davis stayed within the recreation and scored on an alley-oop dunk from James on the subsequent possession to chop Detroit’s result in 5 factors with 4:10 left, however the Pistons completed the sport on a 12-5 run from there to shut issues out.
James, who completed with 20 factors, 11 assists and eight rebounds whereas taking part in a season-high 40 minutes, was requested what Davis’ potential absence may imply for L.A.
“I do not know,” James stated. “I am going second by second.”
Whereas a reporter adopted up, Davis — who was standing subsequent to the place James was sitting — chimed in to say, “He isn’t out,” referring to himself.
James, listening to Davis, selected to not entertain the hypothetical.
“I do not play the ‘if’ recreation,” James stated. “We’ll go off what AD says and see how he feels over the subsequent couple of days and go from there. However it do not take a rocket scientist to know [the impact] if AD’s in or out. C’mon.”
Whereas Davis’ standing may be in query, he made his opinion about his staff’s latest play crystal clear.
“We’re simply two totally different groups proper now,” Davis stated. “One recreation, we’re this staff who showcased it may be one of many higher groups within the league. Then the subsequent, we’re this staff who — I do not even know who we’re. So, we simply acquired to be higher.
“We acquired to place a full 48 [minutes] collectively, and we won’t proceed to do that if we count on to do something this season.”
From the second half of L.A.’s victory on the Toronto Raptors on Friday via the primary half in Detroit, the Lakers had been outscored 141-108 by two groups that didn’t make the playoffs final season. It is the newest lull in a disappointing journey that began with an Oct. 28 loss in opposition to the Phoenix Suns after L.A. failed to guard an 18-point lead.
Falling to the Suns precipitated a number of gamers to state their staff aim of not dropping twice in a row all season, just for the Lakers to drop their very subsequent recreation, to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Following that defeat, Davis labeled the Toronto, Detroit and Memphis video games all “should wins,” one other aim that was not met by this Lakers staff looking for its footing.
“We’re all dissatisfied,” Lakers coach JJ Redick stated when requested about his staff’s demeanor after Monday’s outing. “We’re all dissatisfied.”