BREAKING NEWS:Lakers shutdown Anthony Davis for a week due to ad strain

Lakers star Anthony Davis is set to miss at least a week after suffering an abdominal muscle strain, as confirmed by the team on Wednesday. Davis sustained the injury during the first quarter of the Lakers’ 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, forcing him to leave the game and not return. An MRI confirmed the strain, and Davis will now head back to Los Angeles for further evaluation in about a week.

This means Davis will be unavailable for the final three games of the Lakers’ road trip against the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, and LA Clippers. LeBron James acknowledged the difficulty of adjusting on the fly when a key player like Davis goes down mid-game. “When our best player goes out, it’s always challenging,” James said. “If he’s out from the beginning, then we have a game plan set… But when AD or any one of our guys go down during the game, it’s just tough.”

In Davis’ absence, Dorian Finney-Smith took over in the second half against the 76ers, scoring three points and grabbing three rebounds in 19 minutes. Before the injury, Davis had been dominant, averaging 32.8 points on 58.2% shooting, 15 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks during the Lakers’ four-game winning streak. He managed just four points on 2-of-3 shooting, with two rebounds and one steal before exiting the game.

This news adds to the Lakers’ challenges, but the team will hope to manage in Davis’ absence as they await his return.