The Lakers have had a middling, 14-13 start to the season, and perhaps nothing has underscored it like their pair of losses to the rebuilding Thunder, who own more draft capital than some divisions combined.
And the degree of difficulty in putting a tally on their season series increased during the lead-up to Friday’s Round Three: star forward Anthony Davis missed the game after waking up with knee soreness. He tested the joint during a pregame workout, and was ruled out shortly after.
Update: Davis is out tonight. https://t.co/ZDVimopN3a
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 11, 2021
Davis has been averaging 24.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocks, while shooting 52.3% from the floor across 25 games.
The team announced Dwight Howard would be replacing Davis in the starting lineup, joining Russell Westbrook, Avery Bradley, Talen Horton-Tucker and LeBron James.
🆕5️⃣#SuitingUpTogether | @ToyotaSoCal pic.twitter.com/uIJeJ5IIXc
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 11, 2021
Howard chipped in a point and eight rebounds in 17 minutes, with DeAndre Jordan adding three and four in 11 as the team went small for much of the action. LeBron James led the way in the Lakers’ 116-95 victory, scoring 33 points while adding five rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
