Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis exited early from their 127-117 defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night due to an aggravated eye injury.
In the late first quarter at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Davis received an unintended blow to his face from Timberwolves’ forward Kyle Anderson. Attempting a put-back dunk after grabbing a rebound, Davis collided with Anderson, resulting in visible discomfort upon landing.
Following the incident, Davis had to leave the game, with the team subsequently ruling him out for the remainder of the match due to a left eye injury. Despite his efforts, Davis concluded the game with only four points and four rebounds in just 12 minutes of play.
This recent hit exacerbated a prior corneal abrasion sustained during a previous match against the Golden State Warriors, where Trayce Jackson-Davis inadvertently struck him in the eye. Davis departed early on that occasion as well, seeking medical attention due to impaired vision and severe swelling of his eyelid.
“I just couldn’t see,” Davis said last month, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “The corneal abrasion was actually right in the middle of my eye. It wasn’t like off to the side. So anytime I looked it was blurry. My eye was swollen. I thought my eye was like, [torn] open. But it wasn’t. It kept watering. It just felt like sand was in my eye.”
While the severity of the current injury remains uncertain, there’s cautious optimism that Davis might return for the Lakers’ upcoming game on Tuesday, as reported by McMenamin.
In the absence of both Davis and LeBron James, who was sidelined due to flu-like symptoms, the Timberwolves dominated the Lakers. They outscored the Lakers by 19 points in the second quarter, securing a convincing 10-point victory led by Naz Reid’s 31 points and Anthony Edwards’ 26 points. This victory pushed the Timberwolves to the top of the Western Conference standings with a record of 54-24.
Despite Rui Hachimura’s 30-point effort for the Lakers in the loss, supported by Jaxson Hayes’ 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, and Spencer Dinwiddie’s 18 points, the team’s defeat dropped their record to 45-34. With only three regular-season games remaining, the Lakers now occupy the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings.
