Anthony Davis said “there is no chance” he will miss Sunday’s game despite being listed as questionable for Game 4 of the Los Angeles Lakers first-round playoff series because of a sprained left knee.
“Obviously, we still want to see how I feel,” Davis told reporters during a Zoom call Saturday. “It is playoffs and I want to be on the floor. I’ll get examined tomorrow before the game and even later on tonight.
“But as a player, I wanted to be in this moment, I wanted to be in the playoffs and help contribute to my team’s success. I want to be out there. In my eyes, for me as a competitor, I think I’ll be out there tomorrow.”
The eight-time all-star forward said there is “a little swelling” in the knee and he has been wearing a compression sleeve to reduce the swelling. He said he has been receiving treatment and undergoing rehab to “get the muscles firing again.”
“I’m doing everything I can to be on the floor,” Davis said.
Davis said he “kind of hyperextended” the knee when he landed after blocking a layup by Devin Booker during a fast break with two minutes, 36 seconds left in the second quarter of Thursday’s 109-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Davis played the remainder of the half, the entire third quarter and all but 2:25 of the fourth quarter, scoring a game-high 34 points and pulling down a game-high-equaling 11 rebounds as the Lakers took a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.
Lakers’ starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is also listed as questionable. He underwent an MRI Friday, which confirmed no structural damage and a mild left knee contusion, the team announced Friday.
Caldwell-Pope was injured Thursday when his left foot made contact with Suns guard Devin Booker’s left foot and fell to the court. He did not return to the game after suffering the injury, missing the final 4:16 of the third quarter and all of the fourth.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Saturday he was hopeful both would play Sunday at Staples Center.
Caldwell-Pope was not made available to reporters Saturday.
Davis views Sunday’s game as “probably the biggest game of the series,” unless it goes the maximum seven games.
“We’re going in wanting to protect home court, they’re wanting to take home court,” Davis said. “We know they’re going to play desperate in a sense. You never want to lose back-to-back games any series. You want to learn from your mistakes.”