Dave McMenaminESPN Staff Writer May 11, 2023 6:27pm ET2 Minute Reading
LOS ANGELES — Lakers star Anthony Davis has not entered concussion protocol and is expected to play the Golden State Warriors in game six on Friday, coach Darvin Ham said.
“He’s feeling great,” Ham told reporters in a video conference call Thursday afternoon. “Our medical staff gave us a great update.”
Ham added that Davis “shows no sign of anything” after being accidentally hit in the side of the head by Golden State’s Kevon Looney in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 121-106 Game 5 win. Davis left the game with more than seven minutes remaining and did not return.
Davis was placed in a wheelchair and carted into a workout room after feeling “light-headed,” a source told ESPN on Wednesday night. However, Davis was able to leave the arena on foot to the team bus at the end of the night without assistance.
While the Lakers are officially calling him likely, a source close to Davis told ESPN on Thursday that he “couldn’t think of a scenario” in which Davis would miss game six, adding, “It’s the playoffs.”
A concussion was not mentioned after Davis’ initial assessment, a source close to the Lakers center told ESPN.
Davis was effective up to this point, averaging 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists on a 10-for-18 shooting. It was his third game in which he scored 20 points or more after averaging just 11 points in LA’s loss of the second game at the Golden State.
Davis averaged 22.4 points on the streak with 58.1% shots, 13.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.4 steals.
“It’s huge,” Ham said when asked if he felt any relief at learning of Davis’ status update. “He’s at the heart of what we’re trying to achieve on both sides of the ball and for us in general in terms of our success rate. So that was great, great news.”
Beyond the expected inclusion of Davis, Ham was asked if he could further adjust his lineup to accommodate the Warriors’ scoring prowess.
“In situations like this you throw a lot of stuff against the wall and see what gets stuck,” Ham said. “But we’re not in the dark here.”
The Lakers coaching staff watched the Game 5 film together Thursday afternoon while the team had a day off from practice. Ham said that while there is a temptation to change the lineup, he is aware that his team has already won three games with the same starting group and that the solution to winning the series may well be to play with to play these players better.
“We’re going to sleep over some things, some suggestions and some ideas that we have and then wake up in the morning to make a final decision,” Ham said.
The Lakers lead the Western Conference Semifinals series 3-2 and host Game 6 Friday night in Los Angeles.