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After suffering an injury last week against the New York Knicks, Anthony Davis could be taking the next few games off with a contusion injury. The question that comes to mind is how long he will miss.

Anthony Davis takes a hard fall after trying to block Randle #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/YRoqdy1lau — Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) January 8, 2020

On Friday night, the Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 129-114 in a dominant performance. LeBron James is entering his second year with the Lakers in hopes of securing the franchise’s 17th NBA Championship. With Davis not playing, Kyle Kuzma entered the starting lineup and impressed.

Kyle Kuzma was all business tonight as he started for Anthony Davis versus the Dallas Mavericks:



26 points

6 rebounds

9/22 (40.9% FG)

2/8 (25.0% 3P)

6/6 (100.0% FT)#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/sXibgqUEMJ — Los Angeles Lakers (@NBALakersReport) January 11, 2020

Other role players have been surpassing expectations as well, with JaVale McGee, Danny Green, and even Alex Caruso playing a crucial role in the team’s success this season. While Davis is one of the top players in the league, the Lakers have proven to be a threat to the Western Conference without him.

The victory on Friday night justifies that the Lakers should not rush Davis to return. As the Trade Deadline nears, we have heard rumors of Kuzma drawing interest from several teams. At this time, Davis has yet to sign an extension with Los Angeles, which only proves that the front office needs to make the most of their current situation.

Yahoo Sources: Los Angeles Lakers offered Anthony Davis a max contract extension this morning, but they were informed he would be bypassing in favor of entering free-agency. https://t.co/9Ce2A4ePbI pic.twitter.com/ODta1H40Zi — Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 7, 2020

Can the Lakers survive without Davis? He has started and played in 35 games. While other teams have used “load management” to their advantage, the Lakers should consider limiting their star as well in hopes of a run at the NBA Finals.

Photo Credit- Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images