Lakers center Anthony Davis is questionable for Thursday evening’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena because of a left ankle sprain.
This is the third consecutive game Davis has been listed as questionable because of the injury that sidelined him for the final three quarters of the 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas.
However, Davis has been able to start both games, scoring 36 points and pulling down 15 rebounds, both game highs, in a 132-122 victory over the Sacramento Kings Saturday and scoring 28 points and pulling down a team-high 13 rebounds in a 122-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday.
The 6-foot-10-inch Davis is third in the league in free throws made with 199 and blocked shots, averaging 2.0 per game.
Davis needs four blocked shots to move past Elvin Hayes into 25th place on the all-time NBA list. Hayes blocked 1,771 blocked shots over the final 11 seasons of his 16-season career. Block shots did not become an official statistic until the 1973-74 season.
Portland forward Jerami Grant will miss his second consecutive game because of a face contusion suffered in Saturday’s 126-122 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Grant is the Trail Blazers’ third-leading scorer, averaging 15.0 points per game.
Tuesday’s loss to the Cavaliers ended a run of five victories in six games for the Lakers (18-14). They are seventh in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Clippers (19-14) and would play in the Play-in Tournament for the third consecutive season and fourth time in five seasons if the season ended Thursday.
This will be the second of four games between the teams this season. The Lakers defeated Portland, 107-98, Dec. 8 at Crypto.com Arena with Davis scoring a game-high 30 points.
The Trail Blazers (11-21) are 13th in the 15-team Western Conference, five games behind the Golden State Warriors (16-16) in the race for the final spot in the Play-in Tournament. Portland has lost seven consecutive road games.
Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker played at Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood from 2016-19, then completed his high school career by playing one season for AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona.
Oddsmakers have made the Lakers an 8 1/2- to 9 1/2-point favorite. ESPN’s matchup predictor give the Lakers a 71.8% chance of winning, the Trail Blazers a 28.2% chance.
The 7:30 p.m. game will be televised by Spectrum SportsNet.