“With Anthony Davis sidelined due to illness and LeBron James fighting the flu, Rui Hachimura sensed a departure from the Los Angeles Lakers’ typical post-January performance level in their crucial matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.”
“It was a tough game for us,” said Hachimura, who had 20 points (7-for-21 shooting) and 11 rebounds in the Lakers’ 134-120 loss. “We were trying to figure out whose gonna play or not. We just didn’t have the energy tonight from the start of the game. As a team, just didn’t bring the way that we used to play a couple of games ago. We were rolling. We were playing together. But we didn’t do that tonight.”
Approximately two hours prior to the game’s start, Anthony Davis was declared unfit to play due to headaches and nausea, likely linked to the left eye injury that forced him out of the final three quarters of Sunday’s defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Meanwhile, LeBron James arrived at Crypto.com Arena roughly an hour before the game’s commencement. James has been battling illness since the weekend and was unable to participate in Sunday’s game.
“I focused on getting as much rest as possible,” LeBron clarified. “I made sure to stay hydrated to contribute as much as I could for my team today. When I came in on Sunday for our usual preparation ahead of the Minnesota game, my condition deteriorated as time passed, so I decided to head home. Today was one of the first times I managed to leave my room, get out of bed, and feel a bit of energy.”
LeBron wrapped up the game with 33 points and 11 assists, shooting 14 out of 22 from the field, during his 36 minutes of play against Golden State.
“They’re crucial to our team,” Austin Reaves commented on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. “But ultimately, LeBron really stepped up and delivered an outstanding performance. It’s obviously challenging when we’re without AD because he contributes significantly to our team. I believe we need to elevate our overall performance moving forward.”
“I thought LeBron was exceptional,” stated Darvin Ham. “He came out and gave everything he had.”
