The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors are going at it on Christmas Day in a clash between two storied franchises that are looking to find some consistency this season. The two teams are playing a very tightly contested game in the first half, as neither has been able to get any separation.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they suffered a critical injury during the first quarter. Star big man Anthony Davis rolled his left ankle while getting into the lane and went back to the locker room after playing through the injury for a few minutes, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
Davis was off to a rough start in this one, missing all three of his field goal attempts and collecting two rebounds and a steal before exiting the floor after seven minutes.
Davis remained in the locker room through halftime. Shortly after the third quarter started, the team announced that Davis would miss the rest of the game.
Losing Davis for the rest of the game and any time after that is certainly a massive blow for the Lakers, as the longtime standout has clearly been the team's best player this season. While LeBron James battles his ongoing foot injury and tries to manage his body through a long season, Davis has carried the load on both ends of the floor. In 28 games entering Christmas, Davis has averaged 26.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.
Davis is still one of the best defenders in the sport, so the Lakers could experience a drop-off on that end of the floor while their star is in the locker room. The Lakers already struggle to defend on the perimeter and constantly ask Davis to clean up their mess, so it could end up getting very difficult on that end of the floor for them if Davis is out.
With Davis sidelined, reserve big man Christian Koloko has gotten some early minutes at the five and has two points and four rebounds. The Lakers had a lot of success in the second quarter with a small lineup that featured Rui Hachimura at center, going on an extended run to take a 39-30 lead.
