Lakers News: Why Playing Anthony Davis Both Nights In Back-To-Back Games Is Risky

The reason LA's medical staff is emphasizing caution.

Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis is in the midst of playing his first (and last) back-to-back pair of games since rejoining LA after a five-and-a-half week absence. But LA doctors are still preaching caution as he continues to navigate his way through the lingering risk of exacerbating his still-active right foot stress injury.

In the latest installment of ESPN's The Hoop Collective With Brian Windhorst podcast, Lakers ESPN beat reporter Dave McMenamin reveals that Davis is still very much dealing with a bone bruise in the foot.

"It's out of the coaching staff's hands," McMenamin said of the Lakers medical staff's ability to supersede the coaches' wishes to play Davis on both nights of back-to-back bouts. "It's out of Anthony Davis' hands. As we've been told over and over again, the Lakers' medical staff recognizes there's been a program Anthony Davis has been on since missing 20 straight game with a very complicated right foot issue." 

"He had [an] MRI about a month ago- there's still a bone bruise in that foot. The medical diagnosis is overuse will spike the chance of re-injuring it to the point where the pain level is not something he can play with, which can lead to him missing a chunk of time."

That's never what you want to hear from your best two-way player. Here's hoping the Lakers can secure the sixth seed outright and benefit from having a week off to rest ahead of the playoffs. Should LA finish as a play-in club, the team will have to fight its way into the playoffs over this ensuing week.

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