The Lakers Beat OKC Without LeBron, Davis and Russell... But Did the Lakers Do A.D. Wrong?

A lot of things happened Wednesday afternoon when the Lakers announced that Anthony Davis would join LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell in street clothes for Wednesday's game in Oklahoma City. People thought Davis, listed as out with a stress injury in his foot (the injury that caused him to miss weeks of play earlier this year, might have aggravated the injury. Or maybe it was that wrist injury he suffered in Memphis a night earlier that, in combination with the foot, had the Lakers sitting him down. It wasn't just regular maintenance, because the Lakers don't have enough games left to be giving players who can play the night off, even for health reasons. And certainly the assumption was the Lakers, even against a slumping OKC team without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, wouldn't win the game. Well, about that... Much has been made of the team's improved depth in the wake of the trade deadline, and that those players simply fit together in a more coherent, cohesive way. Well, Wednesday was the proof. The Lakers got a true depth win. They had six players in double figures. It was a huge win for morale, and a huge one in the standings as well. The Lakers have won five of seven, and three of four since the break. They're creeping closer to a playoff spot, and play two teams (Minnesota, Golden State) directly in front of them over their next two games. Now about AD, it turns out this absence was scheduled for a while, according to Ham. Weeks, he said. And the Lakers weren't going to change that in ways that could compromise a player's health. Argue context says they shouldn't have done that. Argue they could adjust the timeline a little to let him sit against Memphis - a game they would lose anyway - to make sure they got the win in OKC (which they did, as it turned out). Argue Davis should demand to play if he's healthy (that's not how the world works these days). But the real problem? It wasn't long ago Ham said it was all hands on deck. Go time. No sitting to for maintenance, no sitting back-to-backs. This came well after, apparently, the Lakers had already determined which games Davis wouldn't play, no matter what. But because it wasn't presented that way from the jump, the Lakers made Davis look really bad for a fan base that already has some reservations. It wasn't intentional, surely, but the Lakers did him wrong. But they won! HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get an improbable, and massive, win in OKC. SEGMENT 2: Wait, so why was Anthony Davis out of the lineup? SEGMENT 3: Did the Lakers do the Lakers wrong on Wednesday? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. PrizePicks First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices