Manager Devin Ham said Lakers big man Anthony Davis did not go through concussion protocol and is expected to play in Friday’s Game 6 against the Golden State Warriors.
“He is in a good mood,” Ham told reporters in a video conference on Thursday. “Our medics have given us very good updates.”
Hamm said Davis was “showing no signs” after he was accidentally hit on the head by Golden State’s Kevon Looney in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 121-106 Game 5 loss. Davis ended the game with 7 minutes remaining and did not return.
A source told ESPN Wednesday night that Davis was taken to the training room in a wheelchair after feeling “dizzy.” However, Davis was able to walk to the team bus at the end of the night and leave the field without assistance.
While the Lakers are officially listing him as a potential player, a source close to Davis told ESPN on Thursday that “there is no conceivable scenario” that Davis would miss Game 6. “It’s the playoffs.”
A source close to the Lakers center told ESPN that there has been no mention of a concussion since Davis’ initial evaluation.
Davis has been dominant up to that point, posting a total of 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting with nine rebounds and three assists. It was the third time he scored 20 or more points after scoring only 11 in Game 2 of Golden State in Los Angeles.
Davis averaged 22.4 points on 58.1 percent shooting, 13.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.4 steals.
Asked if he was relieved to learn of Davis’ status update, Ham said, “It’s great.” “He’s central to everything we try to do on both sides of the ball and our success rate for him in general for us. It was really good news.”
In addition to the expected inclusion of Davis, Hamm was asked if he could further adjust the lineup to match the Warriors’ scoring punch.
“In these kinds of situations, throw a lot of stuff at the wall and see what sticks,” Haim said. “But we’re not shooting in the dark here.”
The Lakers coaching staff watched a film together for Game 5 on Thursday afternoon while the team was out at practice. Ham is tempted to adjust the lineup, but says his team has already won three games with the same starting group and the solution to winning the series is to play better with those people.
Ham said, “We’ll go to sleep on some suggestions, we have some ideas, and wake up in the morning ready to make a final decision.”
The Lakers lead the Western Conference semifinal series 3-2 in Los Angeles and host Game 6 on Friday night.