LOS ANGELES — Lakers big star Anthony Davis back Wednesday night against San Antonio Spursscored 21 points in one 113-104 Los Angeles won by coming off the bench for the first time in nearly a decade.
He later said that he couldn’t even remember how many times he didn’t start out as a pro.
“It’s definitely been something new to me since I’ve been playing,” Davis said. “I told them, I said the last time I came on off the bench was at the 2012 Olympics.”
Davis, who has been out of action for the past five-and-a-half weeks with a fractured axilla and a stress reaction in his right foot, was relieved after a pre-match warm-up on Wednesday about two hours before the start of the game.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said before the game: “I’m happy for him, first and foremost. “I know how frustrating this process has been for him, especially at the level he’s playing at. I’m just happy for him, and certainly happy for us. We’ll take him. He’s out there, we’re not going to go crazy with his minutes, and see how he reacts.”
Davis registered for the first time with 4:22 remaining in the opening half and played 26 minutes as the team managed his workload. In addition to his 21-point team lead when shooting 7/15, he also contributed 12 rebounds and 4 saves.
The last time Davis came on from the bench in a game was on December 18, 2013, in Los Angeles before trimmer in his second season with New Orleans Pelicans.
Davis’ bench time will be short-lived. He will return to the starting lineup for the match against Boston Celtics on Saturday, sources told ESPN.
Overall as great as Davis, with a few shaky moments.
His first run in the first quarter was a bit rough, including a free-throw attempt that he bumped into the following table.
“I was just testing the water,” Davis explained. “Even though I’ve been playing catching balls and stuff, you can control that speed. In real games you can’t. They’re flying to the floor and you have to sprint back or your team’s you’re running.”
Then, at the end of the third inning, he attempted a 3-pointer near the center court and was fouled by Zach Collinswho was rated a blatant foul 1 for taking away Davis’ landing space after officials reviewed the video.
The impact sent Davis to the floor and slightly rotated his right ankle – the same foot that has kept him out of action since mid-December.
“I almost fainted,” Ham said when asked about his reaction to the foul. “To see him jump, bounce, ‘Big Fella, are you good?’ He said, “I’m fine. I’m fine.” So it’s a relief to see him get through that unfortunate game.”
Davis continued to play and took all three free throws after the foul.
“The feet are fine. The ankles are fine. The body feels good,” he said.
Before the game, Ham was asked if Davis had fully recovered or if the team had any lingering concerns about the eight-time All-Star self-healing self-healing injury.
“He went through some rigorous therapy, weight training, weight-bearing exercises, field activity – both individually and some group exercises,” Ham said. “We would save him from himself if we thought there was any threat or harm that he could cause himself. So he has these boxes that he has to check. and he’s checked all of them. So we’re comfortable with him showing up tonight.”
Rui Hachimuraobtained in a transaction with Washington shaman earlier this week, made his Lakers debut against the Spurs and also came on from the bench, coming on at the same time as Davis. They were greeted with a standing ovation from the Lakers crowd.
Hachimura finished with 12 points when he shot 4/7 in 22 minutes.
“He could really, really help us on both ends of the floor,” Davis said of Hachimura. “Obviously, his acclimatization to the team will take time. But tonight, it looks like he was able to fit in very well.”
