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The LA Lakers will face the Memphis Grizzlies tonight without one of their best players, Anthony Davis. The Lakers have reported that Davis is dealing with a knee injury that will cause him to miss tonight's bout. Davis has stayed relatively healthy this season and is only about to miss his fifth game of this year's campaign tonight.
Davis has suffered a left knee hyperextension and according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, he will be out against the Grizzlies.
On Tuesday, the Lakers won against the Milwaukee Bucks in a double-overtime thriller, overcoming a 19-point deficit. Davis had to endure playing for 52 minutes during the game, where he registered 34 points, 23 rebounds and four blocks. Given the extended time he spent on the floor, it's understandable that he missed the second game of a back-to-back.
Davis has been amazing for the Lakers so far this season. His health has played a major role in how he's affected the team's bid to be in the postseason. The team is ninth in the Western Conference standings and could enter the postseason as a Play-In team.
The good news for LA is that LeBron James is back in the lineup after sitting out against the Bucks due to an ankle injury last night. Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jalen Hood-Schifino remain out for the Lakers.
For the Grizzlies, backup big man Brandon Clarke will make his season debut after suffering an Achilles injury. But there are still quite a handful of players on their injury list. John Konchar, Vince Williams, Luke Kennard and Yuta Watanabe are all out tonight.
They are joined by Marcus Smart, Derrick Rose, Ziaire Williams and Ja Morant on the injury list.
How has the Lakers performed without Anthony Davis?
The Lakers haven't performed well in the four games Anthony Davis has missed this season. They have a 1-3 record when Davis missed games. Many might think that they matched up against tough teams during Davis' absence, causing them to lose, but only the Boston Celtics is the team that was considered a tough matchup for them.
In the other three games, they played against teams either at the bottom of the standings or fighting for a Play-In spot. They've lost to the Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs during Davis' absence.
Tonight, they'll play against the Grizzlies, who are out of the playoff picture as they are 13th in the Western Conference. The Lakers will have to try their best to win against Memphis as it will affect the outcome of their season.
The nine-time All-Star has played 68 games this year, averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
