Lakers News: LeBron James Praises Anthony Davis for Playing Through Injuries

LeBron James expressed appreciation for Anthony Davis playing through injuries following the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-115 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, James said: "He wants to play. For him, when he's showing that grit when he's playing with injuries, there's no reason for any of us not to be out there as well. He's been showing everything."

Davis has been playing through shoulder soreness, and he also suffered a rib injury during Tuesday's win, but it didn't prevent him from posting 24 points and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes.

Davis added:

"Umm, thank you, LeBron. I just want to play. Like I said, it's tough for me to lead from the sideline. The more I can do on the floor to help this team win, that's what I try to do. I know what our goal is; I know what we're trying to build. So the more I can try to stay on the floor, the more steps we move toward our goal."

Load management has been a hot-button issue in the NBA this season, with the Los Angeles Clippers deciding against playing Kawhi Leonard in back-to-back games so far. Despite his injuries, Davis has played in all 10 games for the 8-2 Lakers this season.

He is also putting up MVP-caliber numbers with 26.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per contest.

Although Davis missed 26 games last season while he was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, part of that had to do with the fact that he publicly asked for a trade, which meant the Pels didn't want him to get injured and damage his trade value.

James missed 27 games last season in his first campaign with the Lakers, but after saying, "If I'm hurt, I don't play. If not, I'm playing" recently in response to a load-management question, it's clear he wants to play as close to a full slate of games as possible.

With both Davis and James gutting it out this season, the Lakers own the second-best record in the NBA and the best record in the Western Conference, which suggests their six-year playoff drought may soon come to an end.