Anthony Davis exits game vs. Cavaliers with flu-like symptoms

Dec 7, 2022 - 1:53 AM

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Anthony Davis’ hot streak on the court will have to be put on hold for the short term. The big man exited Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first quarter with flu-like symptoms, and the team announced he would not return. This ended an incredible streak from Davis, one that saw him record back-to-back 40-point, 10-rebound games and nine straight games with at least 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Davis played the opening 8:07 of the contest against the Cavs before checking out, heading straight to the locker room and not returning.

According to the broadcast, Davis had started to feel unwell early in the day on Tuesday, tried to power through it but could only play part of the first quarter before checking out. Davis has only missed two games this season, but with the Lakers having a back-to-back in Toronto on Wednesday, his status will be up in the air for that one.

The Lakers are in the middle of a six-game road trip, with Cleveland marking game three of that stretch. After the back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Lakers will play on Friday against Philadelphia and Sunday against the Pistons. It’s hard to imagine that, if he was forced out of the game on Tuesday, Davis would be healthy enough to play again within 24 hours.

Also — given what would be asked of him in a potential matchup against the Sixers and Joel Embiid — having him sit out Wednesday’s game and try to get healthy could be the call. The team has also dealt with flu-like symptoms before this season which impacted a number of players, LeBron James included, and forced players to miss games. Keeping Davis isolated from the team could avoid another situation like that and keep the team healthy enough to finish this stretch strong.

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