Lakers' LeBron James After Anthony Davis' Injury: 'Who Said It Would Be Easy?'

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is taking a pragmatic approach toward things in the wake of Anthony Davis' back injury suffered during Tuesday's 117-87 win over the New York Knicks at Staples Center. 

Per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, James said afterward the team wasn't going to have a simple path to its ultimate goal this season. 

"Who said it would be easy? In the NBA, guys get injured. Guys get sick. Obviously we know what AD's meant for this team. Obviously there's no replacing him. You can't say you replace what he does, he does everything. But everybody else has got to chip in and be better. We'll see what happens with his injury and take it from there."

Davis was injured in the third quarter when he landed hard on his back trying to block Julius Randle's shot. He immediately grabbed his back and remained on the court for several minutes until the Lakers' training staff was able to get him up. 

James did note Davis was waiting for his teammates in the locker room after the game and "his mood was great."

McMenamin reported after the game that Davis will undergo an MRI on Wednesday and is expected to remain in Los Angeles during the team's two-game road trip this weekend. 

The Lakers return home next week for games against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday and Orlando Magic on Wednesday. 

Since losing a season-high four straight games from Dec. 17-25, L.A. has won six straight to extend its lead over the Denver Nuggets for the top seed in the Western Conference to 4.5 games. 

Davis has been able to avoid major injuries this season. The six-time All-Star has missed two of the Lakers' 37 games to this point. He leads the team with 27.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest.