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Lakers' Anthony Davis Won't Have Minutes Restriction vs. Magic After Calf Injury
April 26, 2021
Anthony Davis will be in it for the long haul against the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Head coach Frank Vogel told reporters that there wouldn't be a minutes restriction on the star, who will play in his third game since returning from the calf injury that sidelined him for more than two months.
Davis was supposed to be limited to 25 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday but ended up logging 28:19. He played 16:40 in his first game back, a loss to Dallas on Thursday.
Before the injury, the eight-time All-Star averaged 32.8 minutes per game.
Through his first two games back, Davis went just 7-for-29 from the field, though his most recent outing was more promising as he hit seven of his eight shots from the line and ended the day with 17 points.
His return hasn't given the Lakers the boost they desperately needed, as they enter Monday's game on a three-game losing streak and just 1.5 games separating them from the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks in the standings.
"It's like you're starting over with the guys and just trying to find a connection with these guys again," Davis said. "They're trying to find a connection with me. So, it's like we're starting from zero, which is tough so late in the season."
After Monday, the Lakers have one game remaining on their road trip, a Wednesday tip against the Washington Wizards.
"We've got to be able to get some wins," Davis said after Saturday's loss. "This was tough for us. Orlando and D.C. are must wins for us, for sure."
While Davis has appeared to reach the end of his injury saga, the team will still be without LeBron James for the foreseeable future, as Vogel said he is still "out indefinitely" with a high ankle sprain, even though he posted a video Monday that indicated he plans to be back on the court soon.