Anthony Davis Says 'My Body Didn't Agree' With Playing Game 6 vs. Suns

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis said his groin injury prevented him from making an impact in Thursday's season-ending Game 6 loss to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.

"I wanted to," Davis told reporters. "Just the competitive nature in me to go out and help the team as best as I could. My body didn't agree."

The eight-time All-Star, who missed Game 5, played just five minutes before getting taken out of the contest. He finished with one rebound and one assist as the Lakers suffered a 113-100 loss that brought their hopes of defending their 2020 title to an end.

Injuries were the story of the season for L.A.

Davis was sidelined from Feb. 14 through April 22 because of calf and Achilles injuries. LeBron James was out of the lineup from March 20 through April 30 while recovering from a right high-ankle sprain, which still didn't look back to full strength when he returned. And Dennis Schroder was in the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols from April 30 through May 15.

That's the Lakers' three leading scorers all missing time during the stretch run of the regular season when teams are usually trying to find peak form for the start of the playoffs.

Los Angeles gained a 2-1 series lead on the Suns before Davis' groin injury in Game 4. He ended up playing just 24 total minutes over the final three contests, including an absence for Game 5.

"We had the pieces, we just couldn't stay healthy," Davis said. "A lot of that is on me—a main guy who couldn't stay on the floor."

The 28-year-old Chicago native received some criticism for his injury absences, led by TNT's Charles Barkley giving him the nickname "Street Clothes," but the four-time All-NBA first-team selection downplayed those critiques after the team's playoff exit.

"I don't need to prove anything to anyone that's outside this Lakers organization," Davis said.

Los Angeles' roster could undergo a sizable overhaul in the offseason with 10 players who are either pending free agents, have a player option in their contract or have a non-guaranteed salary for the 2021-22 season. That group is led by Schroder, Montrezl Harrell and Andre Drummond.

The core tandem of James and Davis will remain in place, however, and they'll have over four months to recover from their injuries with the new campaign scheduled to begin in mid-to-late October.

That'll keep the Lakers in the championship conversation, regardless of the team's offseason roster moves.