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Heart Anthony Davis missed the final 18 video games with the Los Angeles Lakers as a consequence of a proper foot harm, however ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski just lately reported that Davis might return to motion as early as this week.
Davis has been noticed on the Lakers’ follow facility and had a number of pain-free exercises. On the cautious aspect, the Lakers hope their main scorer and finest defender can re-join the staff someday earlier than the All-Star Break, which begins on February 16.
The Lakers went 9-9 with out Davis within the lineup throughout his current foot harm, they usually’re now 21-25 total this season.
If the season ended at the moment, the Lakers would miss the Play-In Event because the thirteenth place staff within the Western Convention. They’re at present 12 video games behind the first-place Denver Nuggets (33-13) and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
The Lakers are +4000 odds to win the 2022-23 NBA championship, and +2000 odds to win the Western Convention.
The Sacramento Kings are the massive shock staff within the NBA this season, and now drawing curiosity from futures bettors. The Kings at present maintain down first place within the Pacific Division. The last-place Lakers path the Kings by 5.5 video games, they usually’re the lengthy shot on DraftKings’ futures board at +2000 odds to win the Pacific.
Davis: Taking part in the Finest Ball of His Profession
Davis final suited up for the Lakers in mid-December earlier than a stress harm in his proper foot sidelined him for the final month.
Dropping Davis was an enormous blow for the Lakers, who had been struggling on the time with a 12-16 file. Davis was enjoying a few of the finest basketball of his profession, and simply his finest statistical season since becoming a member of the Lakers.
Earlier than his foot harm, Davis averaged 27.4 factors, 12.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 1.3 steals per sport. He was having his finest taking pictures season of his 11-season profession by pulling down 59.4% of all shot from the ground. He was a terror on the boards this season by averaging a career-high 12.1 rebounds per sport.
Davis just lately revealed that he has bone spurs in his proper foot, which is a lingering harm that dates again to his collegiate profession with the Kentucky Wildcats. He performed a one-and-done season with Kentucky earlier than New Orleans (the Hornets on the time) chosen him with the #1 choose within the 2012 NBA Draft.
There’s little doubt that Davis is likely one of the finest facilities within the NBA when he’s wholesome. Nonetheless, he can not shake the harm bug since he joined the Lakers. He missed 36 video games in his second season in Los Angeles, and missed 42 video games final season. Thus far this season, he missed 21 video games.
When the Lakers gained the 2019-20 championship in his first season with the staff, Davis missed solely 10 video games.
Lakers on the Playoff Bubble
The Lakers should not fascinated with “tanking” within the second half of the season as a result of they don’t personal the rights to their first-round choose within the 2023 NBA Draft. They traded that choose to the New Orleans Pelicans within the blockbuster commerce that despatched Davis to the Lakers previous to the 2019-20 season.
The Lakers are only one.5 video games behind the tenth-place Phoenix Suns, so that they’re inside putting distance of the Play-In Event.
Seven groups within the Western Convention are clustered collectively on the playoff bubble. Groups that end between seventh place and tenth place qualify for the Play-In Event, which decide the #7 seed and the #8 seed.
Solely two video games separate the sixth-place Minnesota Timberwolves and the thirteenth place Lakers. The Lakers are lumped collectively on this mid-season cluster with the Timberwolves (24-24), Los Angeles Clippers (24-24), Golden State Warriors (23-23), Utah Jazz (24-25), Phoenix Suns (23-24), Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder (22-24), and Portland Path Blazers (21-24).
In line with FiveThirtyEight’s NBA projections, the Lakers will end this season with a 38-44 file. FiveThirtyEight estimates that the Lakers have a 23% likelihood to make the playoffs.
The Lakers bubbled the 2022 Western Convention Play-In Event final season and completed in eleventh place with a 33-49 file.
On Deck: Again-to-Again in LA, 5-Recreation Highway Journey
The Lakers are nonetheless buzzing after a comeback victory in opposition to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday evening. They snapped an 11-game profitable streak by the Grizzlies, who’re the second-best staff within the Western Convention.
The Laker have a fast one-game street journey up the coast to play the Portland Path Blazers on Sunday evening. They return to Los Angeles and host back-to-back house video games this week versus the Clippers and San Antonio Spurs.
Subsequent weekend, the Lakers embark on a street journey to the East Coast with 5 video games in eight nights. They’ll hit the street to play the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and the New Orleans Pelicans earlier than returning house. The Lakers would like to have Davis again subsequent weekend to play in opposition to the Celtics, who’re the very best staff within the NBA with a 35-12 file.
The Lakers are 9-14 as an away staff this season. Betting sensible, the Lakers are 21-24-1 in opposition to the purpose unfold (ATS) this season. As a street staff, the Lakers are 9-13-1 ATS this season.