Lakers have new Anthony Davis injury to worry about after bizarre sequence (Video)

The Lakers and their battle for playoff positioning could get more complicated after Anthony Davis injured his ankle but played on against the Grizzlies.

Usually in sports when a player goes down injured the play around them stops. That’s not what happened to Anthony Davis and the Lakers on Friday night as they took on the Grizzlies.

In some ways, it was a fitting metaphor for the remainder of the NBA season. Even if Davis was out injured, the Western Conference wouldn’t stop battling around him or the Lakers. So the center eventually got up and kept playing.

Davis’ trouble started in the middle of the third quarter with Los Angeles training 76-68. He stumbled to the ground after grabbing a rebound but both teams kept on playing.

And they kept playing for a couple of possessions even with a made basket on the other end. Davis didn’t get tended to by trainers until a foul was committed by the Grizzlies.

Anthony Davis injured ankle but played on for Lakers vs. Grizzlies

Despite the apparent seriousness of the injury, Davis was able to return to the game and contribute to a 24-2 run that gave LA a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.

The response of the Lakers was encouraging while Davis was a monster even with his ankle clearly giving him trouble. He had more than 35 points and 16 rebounds.

The concern for Los Angeles coming out of the game will be all about Davis and whether the ankle might continue to hamper him as the final week of the season arrives.

The Lakers have games against the Rockets, Jazz and Clippers on the road before closing out the regular season at home against the Suns and Jazz. Sitting in the ninth spot in the Western Conference, they don’t have much margin for error.