Nightmare, painful, and disappointing. Three words, one game- the LA Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers. Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse watched their former hero LeBron James go down 134-110 in a crushing one-sided game. The Purple and Gold fell wide behind the margin in the first quarter itself and recovery? A distant dream. Dropping their record to 3-2, the injury and health reports from within sound more concerning than ever. With their next game on Saturday in Toronto, the latest addition to the list seems to be Anthony Davis.

AD cooled off after a hot start to the season, scoring just 22 points—all before the fourth quarter, while dealing with visible discomfort. An early hit to the face, and a “jammed” hip seemed to have marred the center for the entire game. “Took my hip in the first quarter,” Davis said after the game. “A little sore. Kind of like jammed it. But I’ll be fine. Just bothered me throughout the course of the game. But no, that won’t stop me from playing.”

However, the 31-year-old isn’t happy about how the game against the Cavs turned out to be. “Ton of bad shots, which led to transition for them. The points off turnovers, we didn’t shoot many threes tonight. We had 20+ turnovers tonight, somewhere around there which is uncharacteristic of us. It’s just a bad game on both ends of the floor, honestly.”

You could blame the early injuries for Davis’ underperformance against Donovan Mitchell & Co. But what cannot be overlooked is the fact that none of the Lakers players were up to the task last night.

Amidst the back-to-back disappointments and a possible good update from Anthony Davis, an eyesore is looming at large. This has everything to do with LeBron James and his struggles with aggravating illness. This brings us to the brink of saying we might not see ‘LeBronto’ on Friday.

Uncertainty on LeBron James’ next game appearance while Anthony Davis gives clearance

Anthony Davis has self-cleared himself of any doubts over his appearance against the Raptors on Friday. But it is LeBron James who, despite being a ‘probable’ player against the Cavs, became the top scorer with 26 points. However, it wasn’t his best game of the season, also because the Lakers couldn’t go over the edge. Bron has been unwell, but knowing his mettle, he wouldn’t have let go of his chance to put on his jersey for his team.

Nearly 40 years old, James sounded hoarse in the post-game press conference. His illness seems to be lingering. A reporter mentioned that he sounded worse than on Monday. LeBron assured everyone that he was working to stay healthy. “Just working my way through it. Taking care of my body, trying to get as much rest as possible, stay hydrated. Make sure I’m getting the nutrients and everything I need as it passes.” 

So, on one hand, Anthony Davis’ jammed hip, and on the other, the 4x champ’s illness affected their gameplay. But the question is: when will JJ Redick come up with the right backups or replacements for these stars?

The LA Lakers had a tough night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anthony Davis struggled. LeBron James scored 26 points despite battling an illness. With both stars facing challenges, the Lakers’ odds against the Raptors look shaky. However, their rookie, Bronny finally scored, so that’s good news. But, if such performances continue, the Purple and Gold might stray away from a championship dream. And they’d certainly not like that!