AD out a week; NBA considering 10-minute quarters
LOS ANGELES—LA Lakers star Anthony Davis is expected to miss at least a week after suffering an abdominal muscle strain, the team said on Wednesday.
Davis was injured during the first quarter of the Lakers’ loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia on Tuesday, holding his abdomen as he headed to the locker room before being ruled out for the rest of the contest.
In a statement posted on social media, the Lakers said an MRI scan “confirmed an abdominal muscle strain.”
“Davis will return to Los Angeles (Wednesday) and be reevaluated in approximately one week,” the team said.
The 31-year-old will miss the Lakers’ upcoming games in Washington, New York and their crosstown rivals Clippers.
Davis is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game and Lakers superstar LeBron James admitted that losing him suddenly on Tuesday posed a challenge.
“If he’s out from the beginning, then we have a game plan set,” James said. “We know what our lineup is going to be.”
With the All-Star break approaching, the Lakers are fifth in the Western Conference with a record of 26-19, just a half-game ahead of the sixth-placed Clippers.
A big change?
Meanwhile, NBA commissioner Adam Silver raised the possibility of making a switch from 12-minute to 10-minute quarters to court a changing television audience and align with international rules.
“I’m a fan of four 10-minute quarters,” Silver said on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday, although he acknowledged such a change would need much further study.
“I’m not sure that many others are,” he conceded. “It’s such a dramatic change to the game. I think something like that would have to be talked more about over time.”
And, Silver added, it is not something the league is actively considering.
“It’s not quite at that level,” said Silver, who was responding to a question about rule tweaks that league officials have discussed.
The NBA has played 48-minute games throughout its history, but Olympic and other international games are 40 minutes long.
