Lakers forward Anthony Davis said after he got in a practice session with the team Thursday that the right Achilles’ tendinitis that kept him out of the last two games was feeling “good right now” and that he’ll “see how it feel tomorrow and make a decision from there” on whether he plays against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Staples Center.
Davis said he had been feeling some discomfort for “probably a couple of weeks,” but kept playing until things became too painful after the Lakers defeated the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
“Not really tightness, more so soreness,” Davis said via a video conference. “Continued to be really sore. Pushing off, even walking— honestly, running, jumping, anything like that, I would feel it. So , it’s more so just soreness and want it to calm down.”
Davis said he didn’t get an MRI, but had gotten an “ultrasound” that revealed the injury was “nothing serious.”
“Like I said, it was a lot of soreness and obviously the Achilles is nothing to play about so want to make sure that it’s feeling really good before I step back on the floor,” he said.
Davis has missed five games this season with injuries.
The Lakers also are coming off a shortened offseason after winning the NBA championship on Oct. 11 and starting the 2020-21 regular season on Dec. 22.
Davis, who missed the two recent games against Oklahoma City that both went into overtime, and the Lakers want to be cautious with the all-star forward.
“In the beginning, it was just we want to approach it the right way as far as the ramp up,” Davis said. “But I think every other game after that I’ve played in and I’ve wanted to play in because of the circumstance whatever. Whether it’s been the Achilles or if it was a quad or ankle, anything like that, I wouldn’t mind playing.
“But I just don’t really want to play around with an Achilles. Today was the first day we was able to practice, get some run in with some guys to really test it out. But I just don’t want to, you know, play a game where I still feel it and then get hurt and I don’t know for the playoffs, or whatever, or for multiple weeks where it’s something I can’t control and maintain …
“Right now … you [can] miss two games or three games early on in the season or midseason, and be ready to go for the rest of the season. So, it’s something you have to control.”
UP NEXT
VS. MEMPHIS
When: Friday, 7 p.m. PST.
On Air: TV — Spectrum SportsNet, ESPN; Radio — 710, 1330.
Update: Grizzlies’ electric point guard Ja Morant is averaging 18.3 points per game, making him one of seven players on the team averaging in double figures. Morant also is averaging 7.7 assists. Memphis center Jonas Valanciunas is averaging a double-double at 15.7 points and 11.1 rebounds. The Grizzlies are tied for fourth in the NBA in offensive rebounding, collecting 11.4 per game.
