LA Lakers Star ‘Expected’ to Play vs 76ers After Missing Game

The LA Lakers expect to have Anthony Davis on the floor against the 76ers.

Apr 12, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts with forward LeBron James (23) during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

On Friday, the Philadelphia 76ers will wrap up their Los Angeles tour with a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Looking across the Wednesday night slate, it seemed there might be a chance the Lakers could miss Anthony Davis for the Friday night battle.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick noted that’s unlikely to be the case.

The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that Redick “expects” Davis to be available on Friday against the Sixers. While that’s not a guarantee, it seems the Lakers aren’t looking to have Davis miss two games in a row.

Mar 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) box out by Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul Reed (44) and guard Cameron Payne (22) during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, the Lakers opened up the week with a matchup against the Detroit Pistons. Davis was listed as questionable on the injury report for that game. Eventually, he was upgraded to available, and checked in for nearly 40 minutes.

Davis would finish the Pistons matchup with 37 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. When the Lakers continued their five-game road trip on Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, Davis got the game off. Without him, LA lost its second straight by a margin of 17 points.

Like the Lakers, the Sixers are on a losing streak of their own. Now, seven games into the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Sixers have just one win on their record. They have yet to win a game in November.

On Monday, the Sixers rolled out Paul George for the first time this season. The veteran’s presence couldn’t help them climb out of a two-game losing streak. Although they hoped to debut the star trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and George on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, Embiid served the first game of his suspension instead. Without the star center, the Sixers picked up their fourth loss in a row.

On Friday, the Sixers will be without Embiid once again. They’ll also miss Tyrese Maxey, who suffered a hamstring injury on Wednesday night.

Soon, the Lakers will reveal Davis’ official playing status, but it seems he’s on pace to play on Friday.