Anthony Davis leaves Lakers loss early with knee injury
Friday night was a tough one for Anthony Davis.
The Los Angeles Lakers star, after rolling his ankle early in the night at the Target Center, left L.A.’s 110-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves early after suffering a left knee contusion.
Then as he walked to the locker room, Davis collapsed in pain in the tunnel.
Anthony Davis leaves early with knee contusion
Davis caught a pass from LeBron James at the top of the key in the third quarter and immediately went to send it back to him.
As Davis made the pass back, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels stumbled trying to defend James and fell directly into Davis’ left knee — which sent the pair to the court and Davis grabbing his leg.
Davis then walked slowly off the court to the locker room, which is when he fell in the tunnel.
The Lakers ruled Davis out of the contest and said he’d undergo further testing on Saturday when the team gets to Chicago ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Bulls. He finished the night with nine points and one rebound in 20 minutes.
Davis went down earlier in the night after rolling his ankle under the hoop, and briefly left the court to get checked out in the locker room. He returned to the game soon after.
Davis entered Friday night’s game averaging 23.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season, his third with the Lakers. Friday marked just his second game back after missing a pair of games with a sore left knee, too.
The Timberwolves led throughout the entire contest in Minneapolis, and held the Lakers to just 16 first-quarter points en route to their 18-point win, their third straight. Karl-Anthony Towns dropped 28 points and 10 rebounds, and both Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell finished with 17.
James finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who had six players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Russell Westbrook finished with 14 points, and Isaiah Thomas dropped 19 points in his season debut with the Lakers after signing with them earlier in the day.