Anthony Davis Plans to Play vs. Celtics After Missing Wizards Game with Injury
New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis told reporters that he plans to play Monday evening's game against the Boston Celtics at the Smoothie King Center after missing Saturday's contest against the Washington Wizards with a strained right hip.
"That's my plan," he said of suiting up, per Andrew Lopez of NOLA.com. "My plan is always to play. I have to get evaluated and see how it feels over this couple of hours before the game and go from there."
Davis added that he feels "fine."
Davis, who is listed as questionable for Monday's game, injured his hip Friday against the New York Knicks. The Pelicans then sat him against the Wizards, losing that contest 124-114 at Capital One Arena. It was the team's third straight loss.
Without Davis, New Orleans goes from a potential playoff squad to a lottery team. The 25-year-old is a perennial MVP and Defensive Player of the Year candidate and is averaging 27.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.7 blocks per game in the 2018-19 campaign.
Few players have the combination of his size (6'10", 253 lbs), athleticism, three-level scoring, defensive impact and rim protection in the modern NBA.
Injuries have been an issue in Davis' career, however. He missed 14 or more games in each of his first four seasons, though between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns he missed a combined 14 contests.
The Celtics will be short-handed Monday night, meanwhile, as Jaylen Brown has been ruled out.
