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Los Angeles Lakers rule out LeBron James, Anthony Davis vs. Dallas Mavericks

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DALLAS — LeBron James and Anthony Davis will both sit out Tuesday’s game against the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.

James has been dealing with a left ankle sprain since Sunday and Davis hasn’t played since Feb. 16, when he suffered a right midfoot sprain.

L.A., clinging to a half-game lead over the No. 11 San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, will enter into the crucial Mavs matchup without its stars.

“We identified right before that Pelicans game [Sunday] that these are our playoff games,” Vogel said. “The playoffs start for other teams when the actual regular season ends, but every game matters for us right now so there’s a playoff-series element to these final games.

“And you start talking about what the mindset is. The intensity is a notch higher. The focus has to be a notch higher. Every possession matters. No techs. No delay of games. You have to get every loose ball. You have to execute every coverage that’s controllable. All those things that go into competing in a playoff series, we talk about those things with our guys in the group.”

Vogel said both players would be reevaluated on Thursday to determine if they can play against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

The Lakers will trot out their 32nd different starting lineup of the season against Dallas, going with Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook in the first five.

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Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, Anthony Davis to sit out vs. Charlotte Hornets

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been ruled out Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets.

James will miss his second straight game because of left knee soreness, and Davis is out with right wrist soreness. Malik Monk (left groin soreness) and Kendrick Nunn (right knee bone bruise) also are out for the struggling Lakers.

Russell Westbrook and Avery Bradley, who were both listed as questionable on the injury report, will start.

James sat out Thursday night in a loss at Philadelphia. Davis had 31 points against the 76ers.

Charlotte’s Kelly Oubre Jr., who had 39 points on 10 3-pointers in a 158-126 win over Indiana on Wednesday night, will be a game-time decision due to a left ankle strain.

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Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (left knee) won’t play Sunday vs. Miami Heat

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Anthony Davis, out for the past five weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, will not play in Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat, coach Frank Vogel said.

On Saturday, Davis was upgraded to questionable was considered a game-time decision.

Sunday will be the 17th game Davis has missed since the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels collided with the Lakers All-Star’s knee.

Davis was averaging 23.3 points on 52.1% shooting, 9.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals this season prior to the injury. His jump shot, however, had been off. Davis is shooting just 60-for-185 (32%) on shots outside the paint this season, according to NBA.com.

Davis has used the rehabilitation to work on not only his knee but his shot mechanics as well, sources told ESPN.

Davis had been eyeing the Lakers’ six-game road trip to return, as ESPN reported last week, and his presence could certainly help his team that has absorbed reports about Frank Vogel’s job security and Russell Westbrook’s role in his absence.

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Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis says team needs to play like ‘underdogs’ after loss to Grizzlies

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MEMPHIS — After the Los Angeles Lakers squandered an early lead against an undermanned Grizzlies team in Thursday’s 108-95 loss, Anthony Davis said L.A.’s identity is far from the championship contender it’s supposed to be.

“These guys already feel like they’re the underdogs when they’re coming in, especially when they’re without their star players,” Davis said of a Memphis team playing without its top two scorers, Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, because of the health and safety protocols. “And we got to play like we’re the underdogs. Which, now, at this point of the season, the way we’re playing, a lot of games, we probably are.”

It’s been a recurring theme for the Lakers as of late, with recent losses including a Kawhi Leonard-less LA Clippers team and a Sacramento Kings team missing two starters in Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes.

Davis said that opponents circle the Lakers on their calendar, hoping to stamp their season by taking down L.A.’s collection of star power in himself, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony.

“I think when their star players are out, we have to lock in even more because these guys have no conscience,” Davis said. “They want to come in and beat the Lakers, beat LeBron, beat AD, beat whoever, beat Melo. Like, they want to say, ‘I gave the Lakers 30, 25, whatever.'”

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 points for Memphis, nearly nine points more than his season average, and Desmond Bane had 23, seven points more than his average. But as much as they stepped up, the Lakers also shot themselves in the foot with 22 turnovers, leading to 27 points for Memphis.

“Our turnovers went way up, we didn’t rebound the basketball, we were slow to every loose ball, and there was just too much of a casualness to our approach after we got that early lead,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “It wasn’t even a huge lead, but we just, we got casual.”

Indeed, L.A.’s nine-point lead in the first quarter quickly evaporated before halftime. The Lakers had nine turnovers in the second quarter, leading to 15 points for the Grizzlies, who led 59-53 at the half. Westbrook (six turnovers) and James (five) were the main culprits.

James, who saw his 100th career triple-double go to waste in the loss, described in detail all five of his miscues after the game.

“All of them controlled. All of them terrible. All in the first half. And I knew that,” James said. “I had zero in the second half. So I made the adjustment.”

Westbrook, who is second in the league in turnovers behind only James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets, had curtailed his turnovers recently, as had the Lakers as a team, but that wasn’t the case against the Grizzlies.

“Some we can take away, some that just happen,” he said. “Someone stepped out of bounds, some loose ball turnovers, some that if you actually watched the game, it happens to the best of us. Live ball ones are the ones we worry about, where they can be able to get points off of our turnovers.”

The loss dropped the Lakers to 13-13, the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference standings.

L.A. was the undermanned team for much of the season so far, with injuries decimating the lineup, but the Lakers have been close to whole for a bit now, missing only Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn.

Vogel said before the game that he would continue to tinker with different lineup combinations for “as long as it takes” to feel like he has found the right formula, a decision that sounds like it is starting to wear on James.

“Obviously it’s been challenging,” James said after the game. “Inconsistent lineups and minutes that you’re logging with certain guys. Whenever you’re on the floor with whoever you’re on the floor with, you got to try to be in the plus and do what the guy before was able to do. If he was able to build a lead, or if he was not playing well you try to pick him up. But it’s been challenging for sure.”

James finished with a plus-minus of plus-two in 38 minutes, which means that in the 10 minutes he rested, the Lakers were outscored by 15. Westbrook, Anthony and Malik Monk all finished with a minus-16 for the night.

“We’ve got to do a better job of taking on the challenge, because when everyone is playing the Los Angeles Lakers, we’re going to get their best shot,” Westbrook said. “We know that from the start of the year. We understand that. But we’ve got to be able to own our s—. Simple as that.”

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Knicks clip Lakers as Carmelo Anthony struggles in Garden return

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The Lakers were without a suspended LeBron James and the Knicks were minus Derrick Rose. The Knicks handled Rose’s absence with a lot more aplomb.

The Knicks built a 24-point lead in the first half and saw the Russell Westbrook-led Lakers roar back to tie the game late in the third quarter Tuesday night.

But the Knicks put out the purple-and-gold fire and survived, 106-100, before a sold-out Garden crowd of 19,812.

They survived because of a backcourt trio Tom Thibodeau wove together in the fourth quarter.

With point guard Kemba Walker glued to the bench for all but two seconds of the fourth, a backcourt threesome of Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks and Evan Fournier closed with panache even as Julius Randle sat with foul trouble.

Quickley (14 points) hit four straight 3-pointers in the final period to seal the deal and move the Knicks to 10-8, while the Lakers (9-10) slipped under .500.

“Big shotmaker,’’ Thibodeau said of Quickley. “It’s interesting in the beginning of the year, he started off and wasn’t making it and it didn’t faze him one bit. They are his shots. If they’re in and out, he’s always thinking the next one is going in. Great shooters have short memories. He does.’’

Alec Burks (right) congratulates Nerlens Noel after hitting a shot during the Knicks’ 106-100 win over the Lakers.
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

Even without James, and Anthony Davis playing despite the flu, the Lakers probably would’ve won this if they didn’t come out sleepwalking and if Carmelo Anthony didn’t have one of his season’s worst outings, going 3 of 14 from the field.

While Anthony struggled, Fournier broke out of a recent funk, had his smoothest game since the season opener and played the fourth quarter.

Fournier poured in 26 points, making 6 of 9 3-pointers.

“He was terrific — I thought Evan was not hesitating,’’ Thibodeau said. “We did a good job searching him out early and he got in a good rhythm. I thought our starters played really well to get the lead for us. We had a good rhythm to our offense.’’

The Knicks entered the contest averaging just 99 points in their prior seven outings.

The Lakers’ Carmelo Anthony reacts on the court during his Madison Square Garden return.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“I think we’re moving in the right direction,’’ Thibodeau said.

Despite five fouls, Randle, the former Laker, added 20 points and 16 rebounds. Randle got a technical foul from the bench in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t cost the Knicks the game.

“I’m not going to comment on it, bro,’’ Randle said.

He did see good signs otherwise.

“Once we start clicking, we’re going to be a really, really good team, and we’re starting to take a step in the right direction,’’ Randle said.

Carrying on without Rose (sore ankle), arguably their craftiest player, the Knicks didn’t blink and nearly blew the Lakers out of the building in the first half before settling for a closer victory.

An 18-point third quarter by Westbrook (31 points) got the Lakers within 83-81 after three periods as they rallied back from a 24-point deficit.

“I like to know the stat how many times we had a 15-point lead and lost it,’’ Fournier said. “We have to play the same way up 20, down 10. We can be really good, man. We just have to trust how we play.’’

Despite the bad third quarter, Thibodeau still trusted Fournier, their $78 million man, in the fourth quarter. And that hasn’t been a common occurrence.

“Of course I’m more comfortable on the court than on the bench,’’ Fournier said. “Obviously as a player you want to stay on the court as long as possible. I enjoy the moment — 100 percent.’’

Wearing for the first time their new black City Edition jersey, the Knicks inaugurated them in style, jumping all over the Lakers, who wore gold with purple trim.

It was 10-0 before five minutes had expired as the visitors looked like they were golden zombies, playing as if they didn’t care much. The Knicks were flying.

In building that early bulge, everyone chipped in. Fournier drained two 3s — one off a Nerlens Noel offensive rebound. Randle scored the game’s first basket on a punishing drive inside against Davis. And Walker darted to the hole for an uncontested layup.

“I liked our fight,’’ Randle said. “We got off to a good start. We withstood their run. They have great players, they’re a great team. A 24-point lead isn’t safe the way the 3-pointer is shot.’’

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Lakers fall below .500 in LeBron James’ return from injury

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BOSTON — LeBron James’ return from an extended absence couldn’t cure the inconsistent play that has plagued his team on both ends and was on full display in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 130-108 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday.

The defeat dropped L.A. — one of the oddsmakers’ favorites to win the championship — to 8-9 with more than a fifth of the season in the books.

“It’s never, ‘We got 65 games left,'” James said when asked if he can take the long view considering the Lakers’ early injuries and how much of the 82-game regular-season slate remains. “We damn sure need to play better, no matter who is in the lineup. We have our system and we need to obviously fast-track it and get better with it so we can play, no matter who is out on the floor, we can play at a high level. … There’s no level of panic. But there should be some sense of urgency anytime we take the floor.”

James played for the first time in 2½ weeks because of an abdomen strain and showed signs of his old self, registering 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, but only three of his shot attempts came in the paint, which could be seen as a sign of the caution the 19-year veteran played with, dealing with his third significant injury in the past four seasons.

“Physically I felt OK and good enough to know that I can trust my body and get out and play tonight,” James said. “So, I’m more looking forward to seeing how I’m feeling tomorrow when I wake up. That is the telltale sign if I’m moving in the right direction with my injury.”

Who knows what direction the Lakers are headed, however.

Boston outrebounded L.A. 51-33 despite starting center Robert Williams III (averaging a team-best 9.2 rebounds per game) out of the lineup.

“I mean … rebound,” said Russell Westbrook. “Ain’t too much you can do about it. Just go get the ball. … simple as that.”

And the Lakers, who led by as many as 14 in the first half, saw their third-quarter woes continue, with the Celtics breaking things open with a 33-21 quarter out of the break.

“We have to get committed to playing as a team offensively,” said Lakers coach Frank Vogel. “And when we do, like we saw in the first quarter, it looks beautiful and you see the potential of what we can be. But we got into holding the ball too much and not playing for each other enough. But that’s part of learning each other and building that cohesiveness and the right habits. And then defensively, guys are going to have big roles if they commit to the defensive side. And if they don’t, they’re not. It’s that simple.”

The 130 points by Boston were the most the Lakers have allowed all season.

“We can go out and compete every night but I don’t think it’s our offense, I think it’s our defense, honestly,” said Anthony Davis who led L.A. with 31 points. “We’ve just got to do a better job on the defensive end.”

For Westbrook, who was outperformed by the point guard he was brought in to replace, Dennis Schroder — as the Boston guard had 21 points, six assists and six rebounds to Westbrook’s 12, six and four — there was an element of déjà vu. It was another frustrated night for him and his new team as they try to come together.

“I think the reality of it is everybody on the outside have really high expectations of our team, as they should,” Westbrook said. “But the reality of it is we haven’t really played with each other realistically, and nobody cares and everybody asks the same question, and I’m tired of giving the same answer to the same question every time we lose.

“It’s like, ‘Hey, how long do you think it’s going to take?’ We don’t know. When we win, it’s still going to take some time. So the reality of it is, throughout the season there’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs. It’s now what you do as a team. You can pull apart, or you can come together and figure it out.”

The Lakers are still without Kendrick Nunn (right knee) and Trevor Ariza (right ankle), who have both yet to appear in a game this season. And rookie swingman Austin Reaves continues to be sidelined with a hamstring strain.

James said he would like to see the team settle on a consistent look — either going big with DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard getting the lion’s share of the minutes at center; or small, with Davis at the 5 — and sticking to it.

He also doesn’t want the team to run from its struggles.

“It’s never as bad as it may seem and it’s never as good as it may feel,” James said. “So I stay even keeled throughout the whole journey. I understand this is a huge [undertaking]. It’s a process for us. And I’ve always felt comfortable when things are uncomfortable so I look forward to the process of us trying to get better.

“And us getting better. Not trying. We will get better. We will improve.”

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Entertainment

Squid Game creator fires back at LeBron James for ending critique

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LeBron James
Photo: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk has had his profile raised to an almost unimaginable degree over the last month or so. A 50-year-old writer and director who spent years trying to get his hyper-violent satire of capitalism off the ground, Hwang is now the creator of one of the biggest shows on the planet. That’s a step up in fame that comes with some major perks, presumably—including getting to hear the thoughts and opinions of a far more famous class of critics.

Like, say, LeBron James, who concluded a recent press conference with a candid conversation about the show’s ending. (Technically, he was just chatting between interviews with Anthony Davis, but their quick TV chat was not only picked up on mic by the attending journalists, but enthusiastically agreed with.) James expressed his unhappiness with the show’s ending, although not, amazingly, about the choice that a particular character makes about their hair. (Baffling. It remains completely baffling to us.)

As it happens, these critiques made it back to Hwang, who, in a recent interview with The Guardian, gave a frankly hilarious answer, i.e., that the star of Space Jam 2 doesn’t get to offer narrative notes to anybody, really.

“Have you seen Space Jam 2?” Hwang responded, laughing, after being informed of James’ critique. “LeBron James is cool and can say what he wants. I respect that. I’m very thankful he watched the whole series. But I wouldn’t change my ending. That’s my ending. If he has his own ending that would satisfy him, maybe he could make his own sequel. I’ll check it out and maybe send him a message saying, ‘I liked your whole show, except the ending.’”

Speaking of sequels, Hwang—who is clearly very amused at the sudden interest in his choices and career, cracking jokes throughout the interview—hasn’t signed on for one yet. “Of course there is talk. That’s inevitable because it’s been such a success. I am considering it. I have a very high-level picture in my mind, but I’m not going to work on it straight away.”

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He also calls back to an earlier part of the conversation, in which he makes it clear that having one of the most successful TV shows on the planet doesn’t automatically translate to a Squid Game-esque financial windfall. (The Netflix-produced show, which the streamer has reported as an unprecedented hit, apparently didn’t have any performance bonuses built into it its contracts.) “It’s possible,” he says, laughing, “that I have to do season two to become as rich as Squid Game’s winner.”

[via IndieWire]

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Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis downplay scuffle

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LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ rocky start to the season continued with teammates Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard getting involved in a heated exchange in the first half of Friday’s 115-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Amid a 27-11 run by Phoenix to take a 13-point halftime lead, Howard and Davis had to be separated by teammates after the pair engaged in a verbal spat on the sideline.

“When you’re getting your ass kicked, sometimes those conversations get heated,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “Those guys love each other. They talked it out. And that’s going to happen from time to time. I’d rather our guys care than not care.”

With 3 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter, following a Suns timeout, Davis confronted Howard, who was seated on the bench, prompting L.A.’s backup center to spring to his feet and meet Davis eye to eye.

As Howard approached, Davis grabbed Howard’s arms and pushed, causing Howard to lose his balance and fall back toward the bench. Malik Monk and Avery Bradley intervened, with Monk holding Howard and Bradley holding Davis. Tensions continued to boil over, with Davis pointing and jawing at Howard, before Rajon Rondo, LeBron James, Davis’ personal security guard and others attempted to placate the situation.

“We squashed it right then and there,” Howard said afterward. “We just had a disagreement about something that was on the floor. We’re both very passionate about winning. We didn’t want to lose this game, so we’re just passionate. We got it out the way. We’re grown men, things happen. But we are going to squash this little issue between me and him, and that’s my brother, that’s my teammate.”

Davis, who had 22 points and 14 rebounds, helping to cut a once 32-point lead by the Suns all the way down to nine late in the fourth quarter, also downplayed the dustup.

“It’s over with,” Davis said, explaining that the dispute was over failed execution on their pick-and-roll coverage. “After the situation happened, me and DH, we talked about it and we left it at that.”

Howard did not play in the second half, a coaching decision that Vogel explained as a chance to evaluate a smaller lineup, rather than a disciplinary action.

“We’re just trying to get it together,” Howard said. “This is our second game, our second real game. And we got to get it right. I know a lot of people are counting us out already. It’s early. Lot of people laughing at us and joking, but we going to get this thing together.”

Among the chorus of concerned onlookers was former Lakers great Magic Johnson, who took to Twitter to offer a blunt assessment of the state of the team.

James, who has seen his fair share of slow starts on teams with outsized expectations — going 8-7 out of the gates with the 2010-11 Miami Heat and 19-20 with the 2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers — tried to put everything in perspective.

“Obviously the name of the game is to win ballgames,” he said. “But there is a process along with building something to become the team that you want to become. And I know it firsthand. I know the shortcomings that happens throughout when you’re trying to build something special and that doesn’t happen overnight. As much as you want it, you’re going to get frustrated at times because you know what you’re capable of. You know what the team can become capable of. But it just takes time.”

The frustration didn’t end with Howard and Davis. Vogel was called for a technical foul for coming onto the court to argue a no-call with the referees. Davis was also called for a double technical foul, along with the Suns’ Deandre Ayton, for getting into it with one another. And Rondo exchanged words with a fan who was sitting courtside late in the third quarter. After Rondo motioned toward the fan to notify the ref to intervene, the fan pushed Rondo’s hand away and was summarily ejected, with the fan and his companion promptly escorted out of the arena by Staples Center security.

“I think they’re three isolated situations,” Vogel said when a reporter suggested the Lakers let their emotions get the best of them as a group.

After a winless preseason, plus injuries to Talen Horton-Tucker, Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn that will keep all of them out for a significant chunk of the early going and now an 0-2 start to the regular season, James stated the obvious when he said after Friday’s game, “We have no choice but to get better.”

However, the Lakers star did not take issue with the frustration his team showed on Friday, deeming it a byproduct of the standard that L.A. is looking to establish with its new roster.

“We’re competitors,” James said. “If you don’t get mad at certain things on the floor that you feel like you should have done better, then what are you here for? So we like that as a ball club. We like the adversity. I like the adversity, and I like it even more when two men on the team can come together and talk about it and move on.

“That’s what real men do. They don’t let it linger. They say what you got to say and you talk about it and you move on. And that’s what they did tonight.”



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Los Angeles Lakers debut LeBron James-Anthony Davis-Russell Westbrook combo in preseason loss to Golden State Warriors

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LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ brand-new Big Three made its preseason debut in a 111-99 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. And while the result of Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ first court time together was another defeat to drop L.A.’s record to 0-5 in its exhibition schedule, the postgame message echoed by the stars was one asking for patience but exuding positivity.

“It’s going to take a minute for us to become the team that we know we are going to be capable of being,” said James, who put up 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 6 turnovers. “We’re going to have moments where we’re not quite right there. We may take steps backwards. But that’s all part of … I think nothing is worth having if it’s not worth working for.”

Westbrook, who worked his way to the Lakers in the offseason by convincing the Washington Wizards to seek a deal, looked the best he has yet in purple and gold — which isn’t saying much, considering he combined to shoot 4-for-19 with 16 turnovers in his first two outings. But his speed in the open court when flanked by so much talent will be a difference-maker this season.

“We had some good spurts,” Westbrook said after finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 turnovers. “Obviously, it’s the first game. But there are some good things we can take from it. … We can be a little encouraged by it.”

For James, who comes into the season seeking a fifth ring that would tie his career total with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan, moral victories mean little. Yet the 19-year veteran pledged to guide his group through its nascent stages.

“Me, as a leader, my job is for myself not to get frustrated,” he said. “If I don’t get frustrated, I think it will trickle down to everyone else. I’ve never been a person that’s OK with not being excellent. But I understand things take time as well. As long as I keep the main thing the main thing, stay even keel throughout whatever is going on with our ballclub, then we’ll be fine.”

Davis was more than fine against Golden State, leading the Lakers with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go with 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He was encouraged by his first glimpse of L.A.’s new-look lineup with him starting at the 5, along with James, Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Kent Bazemore.

“We saw some great things with me, Bron and Russ in action,” Davis said. “There’s endless possibilities, the things we can run and we can do. … And even though there were good things, a lot of things that we can do better.”

The Lakers close out the preseason Thursday on the road against the Sacramento Kings and have a week until the regular season opens up, back home against the Warriors again.

There is plenty of more work to do before the Lakers come close to a final product, starting with getting all their players healthy. Trevor Ariza (ankle surgery) is expected to miss at least two months; Talen Horton-Tucker (thumb surgery) will be sidelined around a month; and Kendrick Nunn (right ankle) and Wayne Ellington (left hamstring) both sat out Tuesday, along with Malik Monk (groin), who will be out about another week.

“So, if these guys don’t play, now how do we incorporate them?” Davis said. “So we haven’t had our full team where we’ll be able to look at every detail, but it looks good so far.”

With an 82-game season about to begin for a group that ultimately cares only about getting 16 wins from April to June, time is on the Lakers’ side.

“It could take all year to really be at our best, and ideally, that’s when we are at our best — going into the playoffs,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “But we have the mindset to hit the ground running and come out of the gates really strong with things clicking as best as we can. … But it’s reasonable to think that there’s going to be some bumpy nights early in the season, but we had the expectation coming in two years ago and we jumped out of the gates pretty strong. So, that’s what we’re hoping for.”

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Anthony Davis returns for Los Angeles Lakers with 4 points, 4 rebounds ‘while getting his legs back under him’

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There were 67 days, 30 missed games and five missed shots for Anthony Davis before he could finally officially stamp his return from injury with a bucket Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks.

After the Los Angeles Lakers star’s 19-foot step-back jump shot fell through the net with 4 minutes, 51 seconds remaining in the first quarter to put L.A. up by one, Davis furrowed his brow and shook his head as if to say, “About time.”

Davis, playing for the first time since Feb. 14 after needing nearly nine weeks to recover from a calf strain and Achilles tendinosis in his right leg, started for the visiting Lakers and was finished by halftime of L.A.’s 115-110 loss.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel had told reporters before the game that Davis would play only in the first half and his playing time would be restricted to the 15-minute range.

Davis finished with four points on 2-for-10 shooting, four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. He also missed both of his free throw attempts, and L.A. was outscored by 13 points in the 16 minutes he played.

While the numbers suggested it was an inauspicious return for the Lakers big man, Vogel had set expectations low for Davis when asked about him before the game.

“He still needs to get his legs under him, as to be expected,” Vogel said. “You can’t simulate NBA action on a practice court, so that’s what tonight is going to be about. That’s what the next few games are gonna be about.

“So we anticipate him having some rust and working out some timing while getting his legs back under him. But this is an important first step for sure.”

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