Anthony Davis exits Game 5 in wheelchair after getting hit in the head by Kevon Looney
By Sam Quinn
Anthony Davis has been the catalyst behind the surprising success the Los Angeles Lakers have enjoyed during the postseason. After helping the Lakers sneak into the playoffs through the play-in round, he led the way with a dominant first-round series defensively against the Memphis Grizzlies, and his rim-protection stifled the Golden State Warriors through most of the first four games of their second-round series.
But now, with Game 5 in the books, the Lakers are faced with the very real possibility of needing to finish the series without him. In the fourth quarter on Wednesday, Davis was hit in the head by the forearm of Warriors big man Kevon Looney on a D’Angelo Russell layup attempt. He left the game and immediately, and according to TNT’s Chris Haynes, needed to be escorted away in a wheelchair for further evaluation.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham was positive after the game, but did not offer any specifics. “He took a shot to the head,” Ham said. “He seems to be doing really good already. That’s where he’s at and the status of it right now.”
According to Haynes, the Lakers are optimistic that Davis avoided a concussion. But in the event that he is diagnosed with a concussion, the NBA has firm protocols that would make a return in time for Game 6 questionable.
“A player diagnosed with a concussion should be regularly monitored for 24 hours for the evolution of symptoms, and accordingly the player may not begin the return-to-participation exertion process until 24 hours after the time of injury,” the league’s concussion protocol reads. For a player to return from a concussion, the following criteria must be met:
- He must be without concussion symptoms at rest.
- He must be evaluated by a physician.
- He must have successfully completed the NBA return-to-participation exertion process.
- The team physician must have discussed the return-to-participation process with the director of the NBA’s concussion program.
For now, a concussion has not officially been diagnosed, nor has the exact nature of the injury Davis suffered been disclosed. All the Lakers can do now is hope that the injury isn’t severe enough to keep him out of the rest of the series.
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