Lakers’ Anthony Davis aggravates eye injury, exits vs. Wolves

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis aggravated a left eye harm and was dominated out of the second half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 127-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Davis was inadvertently hit within the face by Wolves ahead Kyle Anderson late within the first quarter when scoring off an offensive rebound. Davis instantly went to the ground after the play and coated his face along with his arms.

The putback dunk gave L.A. a 35-30 lead with 24.2 seconds remaining within the first.

Davis went to the locker room for analysis and didn’t return. He left the sector with out chatting with reporters.

There may be optimism that Davis will have the ability to return to the lineup Tuesday, a supply acquainted with the state of affairs informed ESPN.

With out Davis, the Wolves outscored the Lakers — who additionally have been with out LeBron James (flu-like signs) — 46-27 within the second quarter.

“He is extraordinarily worthwhile,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham stated of Davis. “Everybody round right here is aware of that. Every thing he brings on each side of the ball, it is robust. Already being with out Bron and seeing him exit, it is robust. However my hat’s off to our guys. They did not really feel sorry for themselves. They stored competing all through.”

Backup huge man Jaxson Hayes scored a season-high 19 factors on 8-for-9 capturing and added 10 rebounds and a career-high 5 steals whereas filling in for Davis. His effort helped Los Angeles draw again inside 4 factors late within the third quarter earlier than Minnesota pulled away once more.

Davis suffered a corneal abrasion to his left eye in the course of the Lakers’ 128-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors on March 16.

The Lakers huge man was struck within the eye by Warriors ahead Trayce Jackson-Davis within the first quarter and equally needed to exit the sport early.

The harm required Davis to hunt medical consideration from a specialist after his imaginative and prescient was briefly impaired and his eyelid was swollen shut, sources informed ESPN.

“I simply could not see,” Davis later defined. “The corneal abrasion was really proper in the course of my eye. It wasn’t like off to the aspect. So anytime I appeared it was blurry. My eye was swollen. I believed my eye was like, [torn] open. However it wasn’t. It stored watering. It simply felt like sand was in my eye.”

With Sunday’s loss, L.A. dropped from the No. 8 seed within the Western Convention to the ninth, half a sport behind the Sacramento Kings.

The Lakers have three video games remaining of their regular-season schedule and host the West’s No. 10 group, the Warriors, on Tuesday.

Minnesota, No. 1 within the West, received the season sequence 3-1 over the Lakers with Sunday’s consequence.

Ought to the Lakers make it out of the play-in match, the Wolves are a practical first-round opponent.

Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, who was traded from Minnesota to L.A. final season, sounded assured that his group will get again on observe for the postseason.

“I believe we simply end this season sturdy, end these video games sturdy and whoever we match up with, we go full power,” Russell stated. “I do not suppose we care in regards to the groups which might be doing nicely versus how they are going to look within the playoffs. It is expertise versus inexperience within the playoffs, that form of will get you over the hump. So I like our probabilities versus anyone.”