Is Anthony Davis Playing? Full Lakers vs Blazers Injury Report Determined

Here's Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis' playing status against the Portland Trail Balzers.

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

On New Year's Eve, the Los Angeles Lakers came up short against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 122-110.

This was despite excellent performances from guard Austin Reaves, who recorded 35 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, and center Anthony Davis, who had 28 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists.

Now, the question remains whether Davis will be able to perform in Thursday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The answer? Maybe.

According to the official NBA injury report, Davis is out heading into the game with a left ankle sprain. He is currently day-to-day with the injury.

The Lakers have ruled out both Davis and Vincent. https://t.co/w0DZtRYPB2

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 3, 2025

Davis is easily the Lakers' best player at the moment, averaging 26.1 points, 11.6 total rebounds, 3.5 assists, two blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. This had kept him in the MVP conversation for a while, although he has since been passed over by Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.

While it would be tough to lose Davis, it's not like Los Angeles doesn't have any players who can pick up the slack. There's the aforementioned Reaves as well as LeBron James, one of the greatest to ever play the game.

If Davis was going to take a break to rest his ankle, this would be the perfect match up to do it. The Trail Blazers aren't the most threatening team, currently sitting at an 11-21 record. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has much tougher match ups in the near future with the Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks.

There is a solid chance that the Lakers can find success against Portland without Davis. However, it will be much more difficult to defeat these other teams without one of the best players in the NBA. In the end, it seems that this may be the best time to give Davis a rest.

Unfortunately, Davis isn't the only player who could be missing from the Lakers' roster on January 2. Point guard Gabe Vincent has also been listed as doubtful with a left oblique strain. So far this season, Vincent has averaged 4.3 points, 1.3 total rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.

Additionally, three players have been listed as out. Christian Wood is recovering from left knee surgery, Jarred Vanderbilt is recovering from right foot surgery, and Jalen Hood-Schifino is out with a left hamstring strain.

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