ATLANTA — The natural reaction was to wince.

Anthony Davis landed awkwardly on his right foot, which twisted underneath him. While he’s no stranger to hitting the deck, there were a few terrible seconds for the Lakers when he grabbed his leg while grimacing on his back.

Eventually, Davis was pulled up, and walked it off, playing the remaining 4:14, but he had a heavy limp for the rest of the game, a 101-96 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Even as he made critical, game-closing plays such as a block of Trae Young, every other step seemed to drag just enough to keep some dread hanging over the affair.

Afterward, Davis said he was “a little sore” as his right foot rested in an ice bath. The Lakers said no X-ray had been taken, and called it “ankle soreness.” The person who made the call to stay in the game seemed to be Davis.

“He’s said he’s good so we leave him in there,” Frank Vogel said. “Doesn’t go any further than that.”

Davis said he tried to play the game “off adrenaline,” hoping that he could deal with pain later. While the result helped validate the choice, it poked at a question that’s been hanging over the Lakers (and the NBA at large) so far this season: When can stars make such calls, and how do teams balance short-term needs with long-term goals?

This manifested in a related question on Sunday night, as LeBron James began the day questionable with elbow soreness, and dropped on a flight from Columbus after watching his son play in a nationally televised high school game on Saturday. In a league that seems to be hedging toward resting players more often, James’ goal is to play as long as he’s healthy enough to play. Related Articles LeBron James’ latest heroics leave Lakers teammates, opponents in awe

Photos: Lakers advance to NBA Finals, defeat Denver Nuggets

Alexander: A full calendar year later, the Lakers will play for a title

LeBron James, Lakers punch out Nuggets in Game 5, advance to NBA Finals

Frank Vogel thinks 2020 NBA champ should receive more credit, not less

“ I mean, unless we’re getting to like late in the season and we’ve clinched and we can’t get any better or any worse, it could benefit from that but why wouldn’t I play if I’m healthy?,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense to me, personally.”

That sits well with the Lakers, whose 24-3 start has been powered by James. While Vogel said the staff looks for opportunities for James “to recharge his batteries,” they’ll respect his word when he says he’s ready to play.

The way the Lakers really attempt to pull back James’ workload is through his minutes, which are at a career low 34.7 per game. On Sunday, even as the Hawks were threatening, James got a fourth-quarter break which has become standard procedure. He played slightly above his average at over 36 minutes, but the Lakers have no strong desire to overwhelm him in a game when he doesn’t need to play every second.

“My line of demarcation is play him as little as possible to get the win. And just try to keep a smart number in mind,” Vogel said. “Obviously there’s times when we’re going to go over it but I think if I can get him averaging 34 minutes I think that would probably be the ideal situation.”

Davis had a hitch in his step but walked out of the locker room without too much trouble in gleaming white sneakers. While teammates hoped more bad injury news wouldn’t arrive, they trusted Davis’ judgement.

“We might find out it could be worse, I don’t want to say it — but he’s a player,” Rajon Rondo said. “Adrenaline is the craziest drug in the world and when you’re out there, fans, close game, pretty sure he’s not going to pull himself out.”