There were 67 days, 30 missed matches and five missed shots for Anthony Davis until he could finally formally pinpoint his return from injury with a bucket Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Following the Los Angeles Lakers celebrity’s 19-foot step-back jump shot fell through the internet with 4 minutes, 51 seconds remaining in the first quarter to place L.A. up by a single, Davis furrowed his brow and shook his head as if to say,”About time.”
Davis, playing for the first time since Feb. 14 after requiring nearly nine weeks to recuperate 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 reduction .
Lakers coach Frank Vogel had told reporters ahead of the game that Davis would play just in the first half of his playing time could be restricted to the 15-minute selection.
He also missed his free throw attempts, and L.A. was outscored by 13 points in the 16 minutes he played.
While the numbers suggested that it was an inauspicious yield for the Lakers big guy, Vogel had set expectations for Davis when asked about him prior to the game.
“He needs to receive his legs beneath him, as to be expected,” Vogel said. “You can’t simulate NBA action on a practice court, so that is what tonight will be about. That is what the next few matches are gonna be about.
“We anticipate him with some rust and working out some timing whilst putting his legs back under him. But this is a significant first step for certain.”