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Anthony Davis was listed as questionable ahead of the LA Lakers' matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, but the center took the floor on Monday to prop up a double-double as the Purple and Gold bounced back to winning ways, trouncing Atlanta 136-105. Davis was a doubtful starter after he suffered an eye injury against the Golden State Warriors last week.
He exited the game with a left eye contusion and LA ended their evening with a 128-121 defeat. The DPOY candidate was on the injury list ahead of the Hawks matchup and was cleared to play soon after.
Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Davis had a laugh when he ruled out wearing glasses, referring to it as a high school look:
Lakers' Anthony Davis said doctors said he didn't need to wear goggles to protect his eyes, so he's opted against it. Davis: "I've been through that phase in high school. I'm out of that phase."
Davis ended his evening with 22 points and 15 rebounds in 32 minutes of action against Atlanta. The Lakers also had sizeable contributions from LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell as they ended with double-doubles. The four-time NBA champion had 25 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists while Russell had 27 points and 10 assists. The win saw the Lakers (37-32) move to ninth place in the Western Conference.
Anthony Davis is key to the Lakers making the playoffs and beyond
The ongoing season sees Anthony Davis averaging 24.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.4 blocks per game in 64 games this season. If he plays another game, the center will be one of the big men in contention for DPOY honors alongside Rudy Gobert, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and rookie Victor Wembanyama.
One of the major reasons behind the LA Lakers' being in contention for the postseason has been Davis' health as he has played 60+ games for the first time since the 2019-20 season when he linked up alongside LeBron James.
While he has had his share of injuries to the hip, groin, back and shoulder over the season, the nine-time NBA All-Star has gutted over the injuries and has been a regular presence missing just four games this entire regular season.
Despite his stellar run, LA is still a play-in contender while they believe their ceiling is the sixth seed. With 13 games left in the regular season, Anthony Davis is the vital cog in the Purple and Gold lineup as the outfit looks to win as many games as possible and make a surge in the standings.
The Western Conference ladder is still an open one between seeds seven to 10, only time will tell if LA can finish higher than where they are now.
