METAIRIE, La. — Anthony Davis confirmed Friday he will miss 10-14 days after suffering a right ankle sprain in the second of the New Orleans Pelicans’ two preseason games in China against the Houston Rockets.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said he doesn’t know the severity of the sprain, but a source told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears after the game Wednesday morning that Davis suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain and would miss 10-14 days.
Davis said he’d like to play in the Pelicans’ regular-season opener on Oct. 26 against the Denver Nuggets, which comes 14 days after the injury first occurred. But Davis also said he wants to be smart about the injury to avoid further complications.
“We’re constantly checking on it every day,” Davis said. “When I feel ready and able to get back on the floor, then I’ll get back on the floor.”
Anthony Davis injured his ankle after stepping on the foot of Rockets center Nene. Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images
Davis did not participate in practice Friday, the Pelicans’ first since returning to New Orleans, and was limited to rehab, weight training and some light shooting. He said his ankle has “a little” swelling and has been treated with a “nice, decent amount of compression on it” the past two days.
“You can’t really do nothing about it; you just try to keep improving every day,” Davis said. “It’s definitely tough when you set a goal to play a full season. We’ll see how it feels as each day goes on and see when I’m able to get back on the floor.”
Davis suffered the ankle sprain when he stepped on the foot of Rockets center Nene while making a move toward the basket in the post with 6:38 left to play in the first quarter of the Rockets’ 116-104 victory. Davis stayed in the game after a timeout, but he checked out for good at the 5:07 mark in the first. He went back to the locker room and did not return.
“When it happened, I thought I just tweaked it and got back up and tried to of course continue to play,” Davis said. “And every time I just tried to run and put pressure on it, it was just bothering me. So they ended up getting me out [of] the game.”
Pelicans’ Davis sprains ankle, may miss opener
Pelicans star Anthony Davis suffered a right ankle sprain against the Rockets, and he’s expected to miss 10 to 15 days, a source told The Undefeated.
Last March, the 23-year-old underwent an ultrasonic debridement to correct a stress reaction and tendinopathy in his left knee that forced him to miss the final 14 games of the season. The Pelicans have attempted to ease Davis back in the preseason, including limiting his game minutes and practice time. He is averaging 12.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15.1 minutes in four preseason appearances.
Gentry said he doesn’t expect Davis’ latest injury to affect him long term.
“He just turned his ankle a little bit,” Gentry said. “It happens all the time. It’s just a matter of having the necessary days to make it better.”
New shooting guard E’Twaun Moore, who was also taken out of the loss Wednesday with a right heel contusion, underwent a full practice. Moore, 27, said he suffered the injury by rolling his foot in practice days before, and Gentry said Moore could have continued to play Wednesday had it been a regular-season game.
“I just got to see how I feel daily,” Moore said about his status. “I was talking with doctors and talking with our trainers, and we’ll see. I can’t say definite for anything right now.”
Terrence Jones (right knee contusion) and training-camp signee Robert Sacre (right foot) missed both games in China, but Gentry said both players are fine moving forward.
The Pelicans lost 351 games to injury and illness last season, the second most in the past decade, and finished 12th in the Western Conference at 30-52.
They are already without Jrue Holiday, who will miss an indefinite number of regular-season games as he tends to his wife, former USWNT soccer player Lauren Holiday, who is recovering from surgery to remove a benign tumor from the right side of her brain. Tyreke Evans (right leg) and Quincy Pondexter (left leg) are also expected to be out until at least November, with returns in December or January more likely for both. Gentry told ESPN’s Zach Lowe in July that Evans’ return would be “icing to the cake.”
Courtesy: ESPN.com
