While ESPN’s Dave McMenamin stated that the Lakers didn’t yet reveal the exact reason for Anthony Davis’s exit, the latest update has a breakthrough. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha revealed that AD won’t return to the floor for the rest of the game with an eye injury.

The Lakers are currently on a four-game winning streak and they are just two wins away from entering the 6th seed, the first time in the last few months. The team produced a similar magic in their last season, entering the playoffs after having a poor initial half of the regular season. Fans and pundits criticized LeBron James and Anthony Davis for missing the majority of the games in that stretch with injuries.

However, the duo turned up the heat in the late end of the regular season and entered the playoff via the play-in tournament. Surprisingly, they went deep into the postseason and gave it all away in the Conference Finals. Importantly, the Lakers have produced a similar performance this season as well, except for the growing injury concerns between the duo.

Anthony Davis without LeBron James: record and stats

Anthony Davis and LeBron James form the core of the Lakers fold, leading from the front. The duo went on to end the legacy franchise’s trophy draught and brought back the championship in 2020. Whenever the superstar takes a break, the team’s responsibility falls on AD. In James’ absence, Davis had played 59 games for the team, averaging 25.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

On the other hand, AD has a decent record, playing for the Lakers without James. Out of 59 games, Davis has managed to win 27 games without LeBron James. In tonight’s case, the team didn’t have both their superstars for the majority of the game and had a 17-point deficit by the end of the first half. The game is pretty much left to the rest of the roster to take care of.

James had been playing with an ankle injury in the Lakers’ last stretch and opted to sit out in tonight’s game. Will it be a costly mistake of the Lakers? Let us know in the comments below.