Anthony Davis Returning To Lakers Lineup Vs. Celtics; Walker, Brown Expect To Play For Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics and Anthony Davis were connected in trade rumors for years, but the big man now calls Los Angeles his home. The Celtics will get their first glimpse of Davis in a Lakers uniform on Monday night.
Davis is available and is expected to return to the Lakers lineup for Monday night's visit to Boston, after he missed the previous five games with a nasty tailbone contusion he suffered back on Jan. 7. The Lakers went 4-1 in Davis' absence, with wins in Dallas and Houston. L.A.'s lone loss without Davis was a one-point defeat in Orlando last Wednesday.
In his first season with the Lakers, Davis is averaging 27.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. With Davis joining forces with LeBron James, Los Angeles is currently 34-8 and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
The Celtics, meanwhile, should get two of their star players back for Monday night's tilt. Both Kemba Walker (left knee soreness) and Jaylen Brown (right thumb strain) are questionable for the game, but both said following Boston's shootaround that they expect to play. That would be a big boost to the struggling Celtics, as the team looks to avoid their first four-game losing streak of the season.
Walker scored 40 points the last time he took the floor for Boston, hitting 14 of the 23 shots he took in a 128-123 loss in Milwaukee last Thursday. He sat out Saturday night's loss to the Phoenix Suns with knee soreness, but said Monday that the absence was a matter of being cautious.
"If I'm not feeling well, it makes the most sense to not push it too much, " Walker told reporters on Monday. "It's a long year, a long season."
Brown hurt his thumb in last Wednesday's loss to the Detroit Pistons, and though an MRI revealed no major damage on his finger, he has missed Boston's last two games.