With six games left in the 2022-23 regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers were nearing, at the very least, a spot in the play-in tournament. But there was still lots of work to be done, as they still hadn’t gotten over .500.
On March 31, they played the second game of a five-game road trip at the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that was in the same situation as the Lakers. Minnesota came into the contest half a game ahead of L.A., making it a pivotal one for both teams.
The Lakers fell behind by 10 at halftime, a deficit that increased to 13 early in the third quarter. Just as they started to launch a surge, Davis suffered an apparent ankle injury, and it looked like perhaps he would be out for a while.
But he shook off the injury and stayed in the game, and he helped key a big Lakers run with some strong defense and rebounding that ignited their fast break. In the fourth quarter, Davis scored 17 points, giving him 38 points plus 17 rebounds and two blocked shots for the game, which enabled L.A. to win, 123-111.
For the first time in two seasons, the Lakers had a winning record, and the victory over Minnesota served as some impetus for them to return to the postseason after a one-year absence.
