Barring Game 3, Anthony Davis has dominated in these 2020 NBA Finals.
In the first two games, the Miami Heat simply had no answer for him as he averaged 33.0 points and 11.5 rebounds on 63.4% shooting from the field. In Game 4, he showed off his defensive prowess, adjusting to guard Jimmy Butler as the primary defender on multiple possessions. He finished that game with Finals career-high of four blocks including one in the final seconds that sealed the win.
In Game 5, with a chance to clinch the title, Davis did more of the same. In 42 minutes, he finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and three blocks. Oh, and he did it hobbling in discomfort for much of the final three-quarters of the game.
He seemed to injure himself in the final minute of the first quarter when he went down holding his right leg while attempting to grab an offensive rebound.
Anthony Davis re-aggravated his right heel contusion that’s been on the injury report. Looked like he got kicked there. He is available to return.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 10, 2020
Postgame, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel confirmed that it was the heel that AD was dealing with while the All-Star provided a little bit more information.
"Iggy [Iguodala] kind of stepped on it. Re-aggravated it," AD said.
"Went out the end of the first and it just kind of just wore off and got back to normal. Just kept moving around. Just trying not to sit down. Get that adrenaline going and I was able to keep going and keep playing."
Despite hurting himself, so early on, Davis went on to play 31 of the 36 possible minutes in the final three quarters - a period in which he did much of his damage. In fact, all through the game, LeBron James and AD balled out - accounting for 81% of the team's points.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis accounted for 87 of the Lakers 108 points (81%) tonight.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 10, 2020
James and Davis went 24-of-36 from the floor while the rest of the Lakers went 14-of-46 from the floor. pic.twitter.com/uB92w4saFA
Despite those heroics, the Heat staved off elimination behind Jimmy Butler's 35-point triple-double in the 111-108 victory. So, what's AD status for the Game 6 scheduled for Monday at 5:00 a.m. IST?
Frank Vogel provided a cautious response postgame - "He was struggling to move a little bit but toughed it out, and we'll see how he feels tomorrow."
Davis, however, kept it simple - "I'll be fine on Sunday."
"I'll be fine on Sunday."@AntDavis23 on his heel injury and how he deals with the disappointment of losing Game 5. pic.twitter.com/JSDcCrCqGR
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 10, 2020
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