Davis injures thumb in Lakers’ China trip finale
Anthony Davis and the Lakers did not get out of China unscathed.
Davis will have tests Sunday to determine the full severity of a right thumb injury, which the Lakers have initially diagnosed as a sprain. He got hurt in the first quarter of the Lakers’ 91-77 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday at Shenzhen in the finale of the NBA China Games series.
The Lakers will play their first preseason game at Staples Center against the Warriors on Monday night. It’s unclear if any players will sit out on a short turnaround after a flight halfway across the globe.
Fatigue was the predominant trait of the Lakers loss, the second of two exhibition games played under fraught geopolitical circumstances in China. They scored just 36 points in the first half, looking listless against a Nets team that didn’t even suit up its best player, Kyrie Irving.
The point guard played only 66 seconds on the two-game trip halfway around the world. Irving was out with what the Nets called a facial contusion; he played briefly Thursday with a mask to protect a facial fracture, then left after his face collided with Rajon Rondo’s upper arm.
The most relevant portion of the night for the Lakers ended with some discouraging news: Davis, who made his first start at center in the team’s third preseason game, sprained his right thumb on a block.
The Lakers announced after the game that Davis would undergo diagnostic testing upon his return to Los Angeles, joining Kyle Kuzma, Quinn Cook and Jared Dudley as players who have been laid up with ailments recently.
Lebron James also played just one quarter, finishing with four assists and six points. While team sideline reporter Mike Trudell shared that James spent much of the second half interacting with Chinese fans – thawing some of the chill that had set in earlier in the week between the NBA and the host country – he did little on the court to sate them.
The Lakers were to fly back immediately Saturday, scheduled to reach Los Angeles late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
While the NBA decided Friday to not make media available for the rest of the trip, it seemed safe to assume the Lakers and the league welcomed the end of a whirlwind week that started with a flurry of outrage over Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeting in support of Hong Kong protests against the government.
CAVS VISIT GILBERT >> The Cleveland Cavaliers visited team owner Dan Gilbert, who is recovering at home after suffering a stroke in May.
After playing an exhibition game in Detroit on Friday night, the Cavs delayed their trip to Boston so they could spend time Saturday with the 57-yearold Gilbert. He recently returned to his home in Franklin, Michigan, after staying at a rehabilitation facility in Illinois.
Gilbert suffered a stroke on May 26 after being taken to a hospital by a family friend following stroke-like experiencing symptoms.
Gilbert has owned Cleveland’s franchise since 2005.