Generally speaking the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t fared too badly in 2021 when LeBron James and Anthony Davis did not play together. Heading into Game 5, the defending champs were 11-7 in outings where James played but Davis did not.
Sadly, that stat didn’t translate into any success on Tuesday night, when the Lakers got absolutely shellacked by the Phoenix Suns 115-85 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff match-up.
It was never even close. The Lakers fell behind by as many as 11 points early in the first quarter. By halftime, they were down 30. At one specific juncture midway through the third quarter the lead stood at 36.
As a result, the Suns now hold a 3-2 series advantage.
The big question everyone had after the game was: will Davis play in Game 6?
LeBron James answered that with his expectations for Davis during the postgame media session.
“My mindset is that he’s not going to be able to play in Game 6,” James said.
“If something changes, then we’ll go from there. But I’m preparing as if he’s not.”
James’ dubiousness is understandable. An MRI earlier this week showed that Davis suffered a Grade 1 groin strain. That usually requires a recovery time of 1-2 weeks.
As things presently stand, Davis is listed as day-to-day and would need to recover by Thursday.
Obviously that’s unlikely.
Ayesha knows how to stay in the news https://t.co/shn4dxsmTZ
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 27, 2021
This has been a rough year for the Lakers when it comes to injuries. That has led to a lot of weird line-ups, vocal and sometimes cryptic frustration, and pointed questions regarding what the offseason holds.
If the Lakers ultimately come back against Phoenix and then go on to repeat, obviously all this talk will be forgotten.
But if not – things could get a little crazy this summer for the defending champs.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
