Davis diagnosed with sprained ankle, out vs. Wizards
The New Orleans Pelicans will shoot for a franchise-record 11th straight win Friday night against the Washington Wizards, but they will do so without their perennial superstar.
The Pelicans announced shortly before tipoff that five-time All-Star forward Anthony Davis was diagnosed with a sprained left ankle and will miss Friday's game.
Davis, who turns 25 on Sunday, was characterized as day-to-day after being injured during the third quarter of Wednesday's 114-101 win at Sacramento. Both Davis and coach Alvin Gentry downplayed the severity of the injury after the game.
On Friday, Gentry remained unfazed and told reporters he's hopeful Davis could return for Sunday's game against the Utah Jazz.
"I don't think it's that big of a deal," Gentry said. "I really don't. It's a sprained ankle. It's going to be OK. I'm optimistic about Sunday, yeah."
Davis, who has missed six games to injury this season, will join fellow star DeMarcis Cousins (Achilles, out for season) on the sideline as the Pelicans try to make franchise history. To this point, New Orleans is 3-3 this season without Davis in the lineup.
Since Cousins went down on Jan. 26, Davis has taken his game to astronomical levels in leading the Pelicans' charge for the playoffs. He is averaging 28.1 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game this season. But the six-year veteran has lifted his scoring (32.6 ppg) and rebounding (13.3 rpg) numbers to elite levels since the Cousins injury.
In the Pelicans' 10-game winning streak, Davis has upped his per-game averages to 35.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in just over 37 minutes.
--Field Level Media
