KEY POINTS

  • Anthony Davis finds himself again on the injured list
  • LeBron James is returning next week, but he is unlikely to be in tip-top shape
  • The Lakers' chance of retaining the NBA title is not looking so good

Things are looking bleaker for the Los Angeles Lakers who have tried but struggled to stave off the injury bug.

LeBron James planned to make a quick return, but all this was before his partner, Anthony Davis, went down with another injury.

After re-injuring his ankle against the Toronto Raptors on May 2, the four-time NBA champion is allegedly planning to return next week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported.

However, the Lakers received a piece of fresh bad news after Davis left their recent game against the Los Angeles Clippers right in the first quarter.

Initially, it appeared that the All-Star center had tweaked his ankle at the time. But in an update, Lakers reporter Mike Trudell revealed that Davis would be ruled out for the game due to back spasms.

The Clippers went on to rout the Lakers, 118-94, giving the Purple and Gold more things to worry about moving forward.

The loss dropped the Lakers into the sixth place of the Western Conference standings with a 37-28 mark.

The only thing assured for Los Angeles is a spot in the play-in tournament. But the concern right now is the status of James and Davis.

Davis has proven to be tough as nails and may return from the injury at some point.

But one thing seems to be certain--James and Davis will not be 100% healthy once the NBA playoffs start.

From there, most are now at odds on how the Lakers can make it back-to-back titles with its lineup depleted due to injuries.

The Lakers may have worse problems ahead. They have an uphill climb to fend of the competition.

The Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Clippers and Denver Nuggets are lording at the top, all of whom could dethrone the 2019-20 NBA champions.

Although they were able to take in a good backup cast consist of Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell and Andre Drummond, head coach Frank Vogel will need to find more support for his injured stars.

Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker are rising to the occasion, but consistency may be the key if the Lakers seek to retain their NBA title.

Anthony Davis #3 and Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts as they are helped up off the floor by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #1 and Andre Drummond #2, after their collision, during the first quarter against the LA Clippers at Staples Center
Anthony Davis #3 and Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts as they are helped up off the floor by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #1 and Andre Drummond #2, after their collision, during the first quarter against the LA Clippers at Staples Center Getty Images | Harry How
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