Anthony Davis appeared to have escaped a serious injury scare during the Los Angeles Lakers’ thrilling double-overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center. The team described Davis’s injury as a hip spasm.
At 5:30 in the third quarter, Davis was hit in the lower body by a knee from Draymond Green as he barreled through the lane. AD lay on the ground for a few minutes, then got up very slowly. After he made his free throws, he strolled leisurely towards the Lakers’ locker room, where Jarred Vanderbilt led them to an immediate 14-4 run.
With 9:05 left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers trailing 103-96, AD suddenly entered the game again. On his first possession, Davis hit a floater and, despite clearly limping all over the floor, he never came out. With 28.9 seconds remaining, he pulled down a crucial offensive rebound, made two free throws, and blocked Stephen Curry’s attempt to tie the game with a three-pointer. Curry passed Davis a few possessions later to make the layup that forced overtime. After persevering through two more overtimes, Davis finished with 45 (!) minutes, 13 rebounds, four blocks, and 29 points (11-for-24 shooting).
“I’m fine,” he declared afterwards.
Davis has missed just two games in 2023–24, making him one of the NBA’s most reliable high-volume players. However, he’s handled groin/hip problems since November. Hip spasms forced him to leave a Nov. 6 loss to the Miami Heat, and he was unable to play in the Lakers’ subsequent game against the Houston Rockets. Davis said he brought up the same bothersome injury again while playing for Golden State.