Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis did his best, but he didn’t make it more than six minutes into Thursday’s Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns before leaving the court due to his nagging groin injury.
Davis only played 19 minutes in Game 4 of the Lakers’ opening-round series because of the injury, and was unable to play in the last contest, which the reigning NBA champions lost by 30 points.
Facing an abrupt playoff exit, Los Angeles was hoping Davis could gut it out. Unfortunately, the Purple and Gold will need to proceed without their phenomenal big man.
Injuries have plagued Davis throughout his career, and he missed lots of time during the regular season as well. LeBron James suffered a high ankle sprain that he’s still not fully recovered from, which is a big reason why the Lakers are a seventh seed to begin with.
The King is doing all he can to ensure Los Angeles isn’t bounced in the first round of the postseason. Unfortunately, even LeBron’s heroics may not be enough.
This Lakers roster is getting exposed against a hungry, feisty Suns team who’s dealing with a star injury themselves, as Chris Paul has dealt with a shoulder injury.
It’s a shame this star-studded series is marred by health issues for so many key players. Davis’ absence and inability to perform to his full abilities has had the most significant impact, though. Los Angeles just doesn’t have the depth to overcome it.