Lakers rally past Jazz as Davis exits with ankle injury.
The Lakers rallied back late in the 4th quarter to lift past the Jazz after trailing by as much as 14 points, winning 106–101 to snap a three-game losing streak and improving their record to 27–31 before the all-star break.
With the help of some clutch free-throws from point guard Russell Westbrook, rookie Austin Reaves' late 4th quarter three helped secure the rally win, knocking down a three with 17 seconds to put the Lakers back in the win column.
Despite a much-needed Lakers win, the focus was on Anthony Davis' ankle sprain, which he suffered toward the end of the 2nd quarter. Davis sprained his right ankle after landing on Utah's Rudy Gobert's foot after catching a lob attempt from Malik Monk, showing on the replays that Davis' right ankle touched the floor painfully as he rolled around in agony.
At the start of the second, x-rays came back negative on Davis' ankle, which had just been reported as an ankle sprain at the time. Davis is set to be re-evaluated after the all-star break to set a timetable for his recovery from his second devastating injury this season.
Frank Vogel spoke on Davis' brutal ankle injury tonight, saying: "He comes out and is on fire. He's playing great. Then we lose him."
LeBron James' huge outing helped the Lakers rally past Utah, scoring a team-high 33 points on 61% (14-for-23) shooting overall, adding 8 rebounds and 6 assists in 39 minutes played tonight.
After the game, James spoke on Davis' devastating ankle injury, saying: "Obviously, I'm sickened to see AD go down in that fashion. I've seen it too many times, obviously."
Before exiting the game from his ankle sprain, Davis was rolling for the Lakers, scoring 17 points on 78% (7-for-9) shooting from the floor, with a pair of rebounds, assists, and blocks each in 16 minutes.
Russell Westbrook finished tied second in scoring for the Lakers with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, with a high shooting percentage of 46% (6-for-13) overall from the floor in 33 minutes of action.
Westbrook spoke on some of the strengths he provides for this Lakers team, saying: "It's difficult, but part of my job, I feel like one of my strengths is leadership and staying with it."
The Lakers' next matchup comes next Friday night after the all-star break at home against the hometown rival Los Angeles Clippers, in a game that is eight days away, that should give the Lakers a needed rest to the start of the second half of the season.