Davis leaves the court with an eye injury following a block attempt.© Twitter (@LegionHoops)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis was forced to leave the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night after suffering an eye injury. The injury happened halfway through the third quarter when Davis was hit in the face while blocking a dunk attempt by Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl.
The nine-time All-Star could not continue playing for the rest of the game because of the injury. At his exit, the Lakers were trailing by three points. Poeltl inadvertently poked Davis in the left eye with his off-hand while attempting the dunk. Despite Davis’ absence, the Lakers rallied to secure a 123-103 victory.
Lakers coach JJ Redick updated Davis’s condition after the game. “I just know he got poked in the left eye,” Redick said. “He was having trouble seeing. It takes a little trauma to the eye and a little time to regain your clear vision. But other than that, no update.”
Davis sustained the injury while making a sensational block of Poeltl’s dunk attempt in the lane with 5:16 left in the third quarter. After the block, Davis fell to the court in apparent pain, holding his face. He stayed on the ground for about a minute before walking to the Lakers’ locker room.
In Davis’s absence, LeBron James took over the leadership role, recording his 115th triple-double. James finished with 19 points, a season-high 16 assists, and ten rebounds, leading the Lakers on a dominant 53-30 run to close the game.
“AD is a big-time rebounder, so I had to pick up some of the slack with the defensive rebounding,” James said. “And then with AD out, I’m taking a lot of eyes (that would be on) AD because he’s putting so much pressure on defenses this season. I take some of that responsibility as well. Something I’ve been able to do for quite a while, so it’s not hard for me to tap into that, even though that’s not been my role this year so far.”
This injury is Davis’s second significant eye issue in recent months. In March, he suffered a corneal abrasion in the same eye during a game against the Golden State Warriors. Despite the painful injury, Davis returned to action two days later and did not miss any games.
Davis has been enjoying an outstanding start to the season. He is the top scorer in the NBA, averaging 32.4 points per game, 11.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He has already recorded six 30-point games this season, continuing to fuel discussions around his potential MVP candidacy.
Before his injury, Davis had posted 22 points, four rebounds, and two blocks against the Raptors. In his absence, Jaxson Hayes stepped up in the Lakers’ rotation, contributing three dunks and a layup. Hayes scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds, boosting the team. Redick praised Hayes’ performance, stating, “Jaxson stepped up to that moment, played both ends of the court and gave us a few extra possessions. Just his energy, I thought, really uplifted the group.”
This injury is the latest in a long line of setbacks for Davis, who missed last Wednesday’s game in Memphis due to a bruised left heel. However, Davis played a career-high 76 games last season, showing his ability to stay on the court despite a history of injuries.
The Lakers will return to action on Wednesday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies. At least temporarily, they will look to continue their strong start to the season without their star big man.
