WITH SIX DAYS remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers were just hours from hosting the Golden State Warriors in a game with major postseason implications between two teams trying to avoid the play-in tournament. And Anthony Davis was an absolute wreck.
An inadvertent blow to the face from Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson two days earlier had forced Davis to miss the final three quarters of an equally important game against the fellow West contender. Without Davis on the court, Minnesota outscored L.