During the first quarter of their game against the Golden State Warriors yesterday, Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis suffered a left eye abrasion after inadvertent contact with Warriors’ center Trayce Jackson-Davis with 2:47 remaining. Though Davis initially tried to play on, his eye became more “eye-catching” than his usual highlights, forcing him to head to the locker room. The Lakers wisely called it quits for AD midway through the third.

The good news? According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Davis’ vision seems to be returning, with The Athletic’s Shams Charania reporting progress. The Lakers will monitor his status throughout their Sunday off-day before deciding if he’ll be ready to face the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

The stage was set for a heavyweight showdown between the Lakers and their bitter rivals, the Golden State Warriors. While both teams sported healthy rosters (a rarity these days), the standings were separated by a single game, and a celebrity-stacked Crypto.com Arena was on the cards. Then came a series of unfortunate events.

Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ ever-present big man (averaging a stellar 24.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game) who had only missed four games all season because of hip issues, fell victim to an unintentional blow in the first quarter. The blow forced him to the locker room with a swollen eye and blurred vision, basically turning him into a spectator for the rest of the night. And that did not sit well with his team.

LA Struggles Without Anthony Davis

Despite a respectable effort from Rui Hachimura (10 points on 5-of-6 shooting) and D’Angelo Russell (14 points on a respectable 60% clip), the Lakers found themselves without their star AD and Coach Darvin Ham perfectly summed it up, “When you lose one of your main pieces, it’s going to change the rotation, it’s going to change the groups and the lineups that you are accustomed to having out there. It eliminates size. They’re a smaller team at the rim, so it takes another seven-footer out of the game for us.”

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While the Warriors may not be the dynasty they once were, Anthony Davis’ rim protection in the game was irreplaceable. Jaxson Hayes stepped up, hustling defensively and keeping the Lakers afloat. A late corner 3 by LeBron James lit up hope for a comeback, but a controversial call involving Hayes and Andrew Wiggins for a jump ball after an out-of-bounds play swung momentum back to Golden State. To add insult to injury, upon further review, LeBron’s three-pointer was called back for a strange violation.

This marquee showdown, robbed of a key player and a potentially thrilling finish due to officiating mishaps, left a bitter taste as the fans left the Crypto.com Arena. First James was injured and now AD’s injury, coupled with the ongoing absences of other players, has resulted in a string of losses, including two to the Kings and now this one to the Warriors. Hopefully, Davis will soon make a return and complete the successful duo of AD-James to lead the Lakers into the play-in tournament. Share your thoughts below!

Anthony Davis Injury Update: Eye Trouble Sends Lakers Star Straight to Locker Room