Lakers’ Anthony Davis misses Indiana game with fever

INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday night, Anthony Davis waited impatiently for his fever to break, past arrived astatine Madison Square Garden little than an hr earlier the opening tip-off. He hurried done his pregame process without a due accidental to lukewarm up, but inactive took the tribunal successful clip to start.

There were nary specified last-minute heroics from Davis connected Wednesday successful Indiana. His fever came back, and helium stayed successful bed.

It was the archetypal authoritative lack of the play for Davis, who has led the Lakers successful scoring (24.3 ppg), rebounding (10.3 rpg) and blocked shots (2.2 bpg) portion trying to code questions astir his toughness by playing done wounded and illness. The last limb of the five-game roadworthy travel and a back-to-back time of flu-like symptoms were seemingly his limit. The symptoms were not related to COVID-19, the Lakers said, and Davis is vaccinated.

Coach Frank Vogel lamented that the Lakers couldn’t person Davis successful the lineup connected the aforesaid time erstwhile LeBron James returned from a one-game suspension, but shifting rotations person been the lawsuit for the Lakers each season. In their 20th game, the Lakers utilized their 10th antithetic starting lineup, with Talen Horton-Tucker successful for Davis.

“He’s been successful each game, and it’s a antithetic situation for america evidently with what helium does connected some sides of the ball,” Vogel said. “This is simply a large (Pacers) squad that we’re playing against, truthful we volition decidedly miss his size and magnitude inside. We conscionable person to adjust.”

Davis described his symptoms connected Tuesday aft their nonaccomplishment to the Knicks: “Headache. All flu symptoms, really. Coughing. Fever. Body aching. Everything.” He said the symptoms contributed to a slow-footed start, and his assemblage took a 4th to lukewarm up.

Earlier this season, Davis made a commencement astatine Portland contempt vomiting 4 times beforehand, but helium coiled up not playing past the archetypal 4th erstwhile helium had to vomit again. It’s the lone different clip this play that Davis has missed astir of a game.

After missing fractional of the play past year, Davis said helium entered this play with a consciousness of appreciation for the crippled and that it made him much determined to play arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.

“I deliberation past play made maine recognize that I privation to play,” helium said earlier this year. “I emotion to play the game. Not being capable to play for a important portion of the season, it was conscionable precise frustrating.”

The Lakers started DeAndre Jordan astatine halfway against Indiana, but they did thing successful the archetypal fractional that Vogel had initially said was “unlikely,” playing James and Carmelo Anthony arsenic the 2 forwards without a accepted center.

The Lakers besides kept Horton-Tucker successful the starting lineup contempt his caller struggles, including an 0-for-8 scoreless nighttime against the Knicks. In summation to continuing to person attraction connected his close thumb, which required country successful October, Horton-Tucker, conscionable 20 years old, is inactive learning, Vogel said.

“He’s remaining confident,” Vogel said. “He’ll person a mates off-nights. Show him the film, speech astir ways – mates atrocious decisions, pugnacious shots tin pb into a atrocious bushed and transportation implicit into a pugnacious night. And I deliberation that was decidedly the lawsuit past night.”