LOS ANGELES — Lakers All-Star big man Anthony Davis is listed as questionable for Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with tendonosis of his right Achilles tendon, the team announced.
A league source told ESPN it is “very likely” Davis will miss the Thunder game as a precaution and that Davis, 27, has been managing the discomfort “for a while.”
Davis underwent medical imaging on the injury, the source said, which assured the Achilles tendon is in good shape. However, the nine-year veteran has been experiencing tightness in his right leg, causing concern.
Davis’ points (26.1 to 22.3), rebounds (9.3 to 8.6) and blocks (2.3 to 1.9) are all down from last season, his first in L.A., which he capped with a championship. He has missed three games this season, most recently because of a bruised right quad.
Davis scored 30 points in the Lakers’ double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, also notching five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 45 minutes of action.
Earlier in the week, Davis pushed back at any suggestion his production had dwindled this season.
“A lot of people talk about my offense, and how this year has been a slow start and everything offensively, but I’m a two-way player,” Davis said after the Lakers’ win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. “I don’t rely on offense for me to have a great season. I’m doing everything I can on the defensive end. … When you’re a two-way player, you don’t have to rely on one aspect of the game with just scoring. I can help my team win on the defensive end and make shots when I need to.”
The Lakers, riding a four-game winning streak to bring their record to 18-6, have the second-best winning percentage in the NBA, only behind the Utah Jazz.
