The Los Angeles Lakers are bracing for potential difficult news as they get set to face the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Lakers leading scorer and MVP candidate Anthony Davis was out Sunday with a right foot injury, and further tests could end up confirming a reported absence of several weeks. With Davis seeing a specialist Sunday night, that news could come as early as Monday afternoon.
Davis was injured in Friday’s victory over the Denver Nuggets, and without him on Sunday, the Lakers hung on to defeat the Washington Wizards 119-117.
On the plus side, Los Angeles overcame the loss of a star player to earn a victory, but the Wizards haven’t been a difficult opponent, with 10 consecutive losses.
Getting past the Suns on the road might bring the Lakers a little more comfort in Davis’ absence.
“It’s definitely disappointing to see him have to go through it, especially the work he has put into it,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said about Davis, who has endured his fair share of injuries in recent seasons. … “He’s been dominate this year, and to have him have this setback, I know it is tough on him for sure.”
It will be just as tough on the Lakers, who will be without Davis’ team-leading averages of 27.4 points and 12.1 rebounds for an undetermined amount of time.
James did his part with 33 points Sunday in his fourth consecutive game of at least 30. He nearly lost the ball but regained possession and found Thomas Bryant underneath for a go-ahead dunk with 7.1 seconds remaining to provide the game-winning points.
Bryant, who received a rare start with Davis out, finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lakers will hit the road after a 2-1 homestand while winning three of their past four games.
The Suns have won consecutive games after a five-game losing streak. The victories have coincided with the return of All-Star guard Devin Booker, who missed the last two defeats of the losing streak with a hamstring injury.
Booker showed some rust by missing 10 consecutive shots from the field at one point of Thursday’s 111-95 road victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. But he put it all together with 58 points in Saturday’s 118-114 home victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
It was Booker’s second game of at least 50 points this season. He scored a career-best 70 in 2017 against the Boston Celtics.
But Booker is questionable for Monday’s game with groin soreness.
“I was just making shots,” Booker said. “I’ve been in a bit of a slump and just have to keep shooting. That’s what I live by. I was put in the right situations to make the right plays. I usually just want to make the right play every time, but once I get it going a little bit, shooting over a hand — it’s the right play.”
The Suns already are expecting to be without Cameron Payne on Monday because of a right-foot sprain. Deandre Ayton is questionable with a left-ankle sprain. Payne and Ayton each have missed the past two games.
–Field Level Media
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