Anthony Davis Could Return Against Heat After 16-Game Absence

Davis hasn't played in a game since Dec. 17 due to an MCL strain, and the Lakers have gone 7–10 in his absence.

The Lakers announced that power forward Anthony Davis is questionable to play Sunday against the Heat and will be a game-time decision. Davis has missed the last 16 games with an MCL strain. 

Lakers have upgraded Anthony Davis' status to QUESTIONABLE for tomorrow's game against the Heat. pic.twitter.com/GlmsKALkpu

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 22, 2022

LeBron James was also listed as questionable but will likely play in Miami. The Lakers (23–23) have had a turbulent start to their season and things didn't get any better when Davis went down with the injury back in December. The star big man hasn't appeared in a game since Dec. 17 against the Timberwolves. 

Since then, Los Angeles has gone 7–10, including the loss against Minnesota, and coach Frank Vogel's job security has become a major topic of conversation. Additionally, point guard Russell Westbrook's play has also been heavily criticized. It got so bad that James even took to Twitter to apologize to Lakers fans for the team's struggles despite being the second-leading scorer in the NBA at 28.9 points per game, behind only Kevin Durant. 

In his 27 appearances this season, Davis is averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and two blocks per game. Tip-off in Miami is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Sunday where Davis could make his much-needed return. 

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