LeBron James Makes Anthony Davis Statement After Loss vs 76ers

LeBron James acknowledged Anthony Davis' early absence against the 76ers.
Dec 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Anthony Davis (3) on the bench against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Dec 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Anthony Davis (3) on the bench against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Coming off of a highly successful outing against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, Anthony Davis looked to keep on rolling against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

While the Los Angeles Lakers listed Davis on the injury report due to a foot-related setback, he was probable to play. As expected, Davis was cleared for action.

The Sixers saw Davis for just 10 minutes on Tuesday. During the first half, the veteran center checked out of the game with four points, two rebounds, and one steal to his name.

As he dealt with an abdomen injury, Davis went back to the locker room before halftime get checked out. Around the start of the third quarter, the Lakers believed Davis would be questionable to return.

Anthony Davi
Jan 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) knocks the ball from Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eventually, he was ruled out.

After the game, Lakers star LeBron James made a statement on the challenges of missing Davis so abruptly.

“It’s challenging,” LeBron James told reporters.

“If he’s out from the beginning we have our gameplan set, we know what to expect, we know what our lineup is going to be. When he goes down, any of our guys go down throughout the course of the game, it’s tough.”

The Lakers had control of Tuesday’s game in South Philly early. Davis’ absence opened up a big opportunity for the Sixers to jump out in front, and they did just that.

In the end, the Sixers defeated the Lakers 118-104. LA snapped their four-game winning streak and they face at least some level of concern for Davis.

“I didn’t even realize [Davis left] until the second quarter when he didn’t come back in his regular minutes,” LeBron added. “I looked over to the bench and he wasn’t over there. I found out at halftime. Level of concern, I think he’ll be fine.”

Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn’t have an official update on Davis following the game. The Lakers have until Thursday’s game on the road against the Washington Wizards to find out if he’ll miss time or not.

Meanwhile, the Sixers are set to close out a back-to-back of their own. After taking the Lakers, the 76ers will host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA