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Anthony Davis has been listed as probable by the LA Lakers ahead of Game 2 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. He has been dealing with a back injury since the final game of the regular season, and it's still bothersome, given he's on the injury report.
AD was phenomenal for the Lakers in their 114-103 loss in Game 1 on Saturday. He finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds and five assists while playing his best on the defensive end against Nikola Jokic.
Four players are still out for the Lakers – Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jalen Hood-Schifino. LeBron James is also tagged as probable due to his lingering left ankle injury.
What happened to Anthony Davis?
Anthony Davis has been an iron man for the LA Lakers this season, playing a career-high 76 games, which means he missed just six contests. Davis also played through minor injuries in the second half of the season, but nothing bad happened.
The eight-time All-Star is listed on the team's injury report for Game 2 with soreness in his lower back. He suffered the injury in the final game of the regular season against the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the video below, Davis can be seen setting a screen for Gabe Vincent with five minutes left. He appeared to have tweaked something in his lower back and had to ask for a substitution. He was in pain, and the team's medical personnel had to check on him on the sidelines.
Luckily, for the Lakers, Davis didn't suffer a major injury. He played through it in their NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Pelicans and in Game 1 of their series against the Denver Nuggets.
Anthony Davis' playoff stats vs. Denver Nuggets
This year's series is the third time Anthony Davis has faced the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. Davis and the LA Lakers prevailed in the 2020 Western Conference Finals, beating them in five games to advance to the NBA Finals.
It was a different story last season, though, when the Nuggets swept them in the Western Conference Finals. Davis is averaging 29.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game against Denver in 10 games in the postseason, going 4-6.
AD's best game in the playoffs versus the Nuggets was Game 1 of last year's Western Conference finals. He dropped 40 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in a 132-126 loss. He followed up with his worst performance scoring 18 points on 4-for-15 shooting in Game 2.
However, the most memorable play of Davis' career against the Nuggets happened in Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference finals. He hit the game-winning buzzer-beating 3-point shot to help the LA Lakers take a 2-0 lead.
