LOS ANGELES – Anthony Davis will not play Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a contusion to his right calf, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel said after morning practice.
“Well, we just want to be responsible,” Vogel expressed in a video conference with reporters. “We want to watch.”
Vogel indicated that Davis suffered the injury on the opening night against the Clippers, and then aggravated it again in the third quarter of the Lakers ’victory on Christmas Day over the Dallas Mavericks.
Davis, 27, is averaging 23 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the first two games of the season.
The Lakers play straight games against Minnesota, followed by a playoff rematch with the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Vogel said the Lakers do not have an established policy on how they plan to play against their two greats, Davis and Lebron James, in ‘back-to-backs’ this season.
“We’re going to address each of them year-round, case by case,” Vogel stressed. “And with the expectation that our boys will play both games, unless there’s a different reason. And in this case, there’s a different reason with Anthony’s calf. We’ll continue to evaluate this throughout the year.”
James is expected to play two games, Vogel added. “We want to take advantage of our depth and be smart with this injury,” he ruled.