BBNBA: Anthony Davis Leaves Game After Hard Fall

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(Andrew D. Bernstein | Getty Images)

Good morning, folks. The Lakers trounced the Knicks by 30 but lost a key piece in the process. Let’s talk NBA.

RECAP

Anthony Davis leaves game after back injury

Cruising to another easy win, the Los Angeles Lakers crossed over into 30-win territory after taking down the New York Knicks, 117-87. Unfortunately, the easy win didn’t come without a cost. Anthony Davis landed hard on his lower back in the third quarter and was walking gingerly as he made his way back to the locker room. Davis was contesting a shot on a Julius Randle drive and immediately started to grab for his back after a scary landing.

Hope Anthony Davis is ok pic.twitter.com/aJFrekGyWD

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 8, 2020

It was announced that Davis bruised his sacrum – the bottom part of his spine above the tailbone – and his X-rays came back negative. He is expected to miss the Lakers’ upcoming road trip. With a sizable lead in the Western Conference Standings (4.5 games ahead of two-seeded Denver), the L.A. front office can be extra careful with Davis’ injury.

Anthony Davis was able to walk in the player tunnel at Staples Center as the initial shock of the fall wore off, a source tells ESPN. The plan is for Davis to undergo an MRI on Wednesday. He is expected to miss the upcoming road trip in DAL & OKC to stay back and rehab.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 8, 2020

AD played in 23 minutes before the incident, managing five points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks. Rajon Rondo added eight points, three rebounds, and 10 assists for the Lakers.

As for the New York Knicks side of the bench, Julius Randle went for his 15th double-double on the year with 15 points and 10 rebounds on 5-16 shooting from the floor. Kevin Knox appeared in 19 minutes, but could only contribute two points and five boards on a 1-7 shooting clip.

UPDATE: Now it sounds like Davis WILL travel with the team on the upcoming road trip. Good news.

MRI results on Lakers star Anthony Davis’ lower back injury returned clean and he plans to travel with team on two-game road trip (Dallas, OKC), league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2020

Booker and Fox square off

In a matchup between two of the most exciting former Wildcats to watch in the NBA, De’Aaron Fox’s Sacramento Kings got the better of Devin Booker and his Phoenix Suns by a final score of 113-104.

While Fox’s team won the overall war, Booker won the individual battle between the ex-Cats.

Booker dropped a BBNBA high of 34 points – his seventh consecutive game with at least 30 points, extending his franchise-record – in addition to four rebounds and seven assists on 12-21 shooting from the field. The Suns actually led the game for a majority of the evening, at one point controlling a 21-point lead over halfway through the third period. Sacramento would rattle off a 30-8 run over the next eight-ish minutes to eventually take the lead before sealing the deal with a big three from Fox to ice it away.

Fox posted 27 points, three rebounds, and six assists for the Kings, who have now won three out of its last four outings.

The Suns are 3-3 over its last six games and desperately needed a win on Tuesday to keep some momentum as they continue through a lull in their schedule. They have a couple more winnable games in a row they’ll need to take care of to stay alive in the playoff race.

OKC dominates overtime in win over Nets

The Oklahoma City Thunder barely made it to the extra period before stealing a road win against the Brooklyn Nets. Trailing by seven with only a few minutes remaining in regulation, the Thunder went on a 12-5 run led by 10 points from Chris Paul (20 of Paul’s 28 points came in the fourth quarter). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went for 22 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals for OKC as they wrap up a four-game road trip that saw them go 3-1.

Hamidou Diallo recorded six points and four rebounds for the Thunder while Nerlens Noel sat out his second straight game with an ankle injury.

Other notes

Brandon Knight poured in a season-high of 13 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The former ‘Cat shot 5-9 from the field and 3-7 from beyond the arc to go along with two rebounds and five dimes. His 24 minutes were also a season-high.
Karl-Anthony Towns sat out his 11th straight game with a nagging knee sprain, and he continues to be listed as day-to-day by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Check out the full stat sheet below.