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Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
MEMPHIS — Back in the place where the Los Angeles Lakers defied the odds last spring to start their playoff run — upsetting the No. 2-seeded Grizzlies in the first round as the No. 7 seed — Anthony Davis says he likes his team’s chances once again.
Davis missed most of the Lakers’ past two games — losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors — after getting hit in the face in the first quarter against Minnesota and dealing with a headache and nausea. But he said he feels “phenomenal” and shared a sunny outlook on the Lakers, who are in 10th place in the Western Conference with two games left in the regular season.
“I think we’re in a great place,” Davis said after shootaround Friday morning ahead of the Grizzlies game. “The two games that we lost, I played a quarter and then LeBron [James] didn’t play one. So there’s nothing we can really do about that now. Our job is to focus on these next two — the game tonight and then on Sunday against New Orleans — and then just kind of see what happens, where we stand after that. And then go win basketball games.
“At the end of the day, no matter where you are in the standings, you still have to win. For us, it’s about taking it one game at a time. Whether that’s 10th place, ninth place, eighth, no matter where you are. You can be the first seed, you still have to win basketball games. So that’s our mindset. No matter where we are, we just got to win.”
Davis is listed as probable for the Grizzlies game but plans to play, sources told ESPN. The Lakers big man arrived to the arena Tuesday intending to play against the Warriors but came down with a headache and wave of nausea, causing him to vomit and need to go home. He continued to rest Wednesday and began to feel better Thursday, sources said.
The Lakers are 45-35, tied with the No. 8 Sacramento Kings and No. 9 Warriors, but both of those teams have the tiebreaker over Los Angeles based on their head-to-head matchups.
The Lakers are 2-1 against the Grizzlies and 2-1 against the Pelicans.
The Kings host the No. 7 Phoenix Suns on Friday and finish at home against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Warriors host the Pelicans on Friday and finish at home against the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves said he spent Thursday night watching the Pelicans game against the Kings and is aware of the seeding seesaw the back end of the West’s playoff bracket has been involved in on a nightly basis.
“We just got to control what we can and hope everything shakes out after that in our favor,” Reaves said.