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LeBron James Leads Lakers Past Wizards. Can They Keep Winning Without an injured Anthony Davis?
The Lakers won Friday against Denver with Anthony Davis on the sidelines for most of the game. Sunday, news broke that Davis is expected to miss about a month because of a foot injury (no official confirmation from the team, yet, but an announcement of some sort is expected Monday). Sunday night, the Lakers beat a struggling Wizards team at the Crypt, 119-117. Without question, they caught some breaks, and benefitted from the general terribleness of their opponent.
That said, the Lakers also did a lot of things right. For starters, LeBron James (33/7/9, no turnovers) was excellent. But the team also got contributions from Thomas Bryant (16/10, including two 3-pointers), Lonnie Walker (21 points), and Dennis Schroder (12/7). Max Christie played 24 minutes, and hit a pair of 3's while guarding both Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma (not at the same time) down the stretch.
The Lakers pushed pace, hit some threes, and didn't turn the ball over. That's the formula they need to try and repeat going forward without Davis on the floor.
Maybe not Monday in Phoenix, though, since the Lakers might have to rest some folks. LeBron for general rest, Walker and Austin Reaves for potential ankle injuries. Gotta win games, but gotta keep people healthy, too.
Big picture, there is much to discuss regarding Davis and his injury. What does it mean for the Lakers going forward? Should a trade become more or less likely? How do they build around him going forward? But one thing should be obvious, and the baseline for any conversation: Anthony Davis can't be counted on to play more than 50-60 games in any season.
That's not an indictment of Davis's character. It's just reality.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: The Lakers, led by LeBron, beat Washington, holding on in a crazy finish.
SEGMENT 2: Thomas Bryant and Max Christie were big, and the Lakers did stuff they'll need to keep doing with Davis off the floor.
SEGMENT 3: Anthony Davis is injury prone. It's not a character flaw, but it is reality the Lakers need to account for.
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