Anthony Davis wants more playing time in rematch with Dallas
Time for some action.
After his first game in over two months, Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis would like a little bit more time on the floor in his second game back from a right calf injury that forced him to miss 30 games in a row.
Davis said he had no limitations in any movements and didn’t feel hesitant with any part of his game against Dallas on Thursday.
“I didn’t think about it one time tonight,” Davis said about his right calf injury. “Honestly, I just went out there and played. I think it kind of limits what you can do if you’re out there thinking about your injury. So, I just went out there and played, not think about it and have fun and be excited to be back out on the floor -- that was my main thing.”
Davis finished 2-for-10 from the field, with four points, four rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in 17 minutes, as the Lakers lost 115-110 to the Mavericks.
Davis said he likes the left block more than the right, and his first three post-ups were on the right block. Davis said he felt like he wanted to get more looks on the left block because he’s more comfortable there.
“I felt fine,” Davis said. “My wind felt better than I expected. I got good looks that I missed, and obviously that comes with time, to get those game reps. But I felt good out there. I felt really good.
“I was able to do some things to give the team a little juice. We came out with a great start, but it’s tough when you’re able to play, then you’ve got to watch the whole second half and not be able to contribute on the floor.”
With the win, the Mavericks, No. 6 in the Western Conference, improved to 32-26, moving closer to the 35-24 Lakers, who hold the No. 5 seed.
At 32-27, the Portland Trailblazers dropped to the No. 7 seed.
The Lakers are working to hold off the Mavericks and Blazer, avoiding the play-in game for seeds 7 through 10.
Davis would like to play more. However, he will likely have a minutes restriction for a second straight game -- playing 15 to 20 minutes in just one half against the Mavericks again on Saturday.
“We dropped this one tonight, knowing that Dallas is trying to catch Portland and us -- and they came a game closer,” Davis said. “On Saturday, we’re going to talk about how the minutes will look then. I know it probably won’t be a full game, but it’s still tough when we’re trying to battle as well for seeding.
“But we know at the end of the day when everyone’s healthy, we’re a tough team to beat. No matter where we fall in the playoff field, we’re going to come out, and I think we’re going to be a challenge for anybody. That’s how we look at it, big picture. But we still want to make sure that we control our own destiny, and make sure we’re in the playoffs 1-6, and not fall to the 7 to 10 range.”
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel indicated the team is going to err on the side of caution in bringing Davis back slowly to reduce the chance of another injury.
“There’s a plan to get him some work,” Vogel said. “We don’t have any practice time, so we have to use games to get him back in shape. So, you have to follow the medical team’s recommendation.”
