Anthony Davis gave the go-ahead to play; Christian Wood suffers a setback

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Davis said he is cleared to play in the Los Angeles Lakers' next game against the Memphis Grizzlies after leaving Sunday's win over the Toronto Raptors early with a left eye injury.

“I have a few scratches in my eye,” said Davis, whose eye still appeared red and cloudy after practice on Tuesday. “But as far as the medical term and everything, I’m not 100 percent sure. But I have the right to play.”

Sources told ESPN that he visited an eye doctor on Monday as a “precautionary measure” after being stabbed in the eye by Toronto center Jakob Poeltl midway through the third quarter.

It was the second left eye injury Davis has suffered since the spring – he was diagnosed with a corneal abrasion in March.

Davis tested out a pair of goggles during Tuesday's practice — “He looked great,” Lakers coach JJ Redick quipped — but the All-Star big man has no plans to wear them against Memphis.

Davis said he tried goggles before during the 2020 NBA bubble while recovering from an eye injury, but gave up on them after “20 seconds of a game.”

For Davis, it's simply a matter of preference.

“When I was younger, I wore safety glasses for three years,” Davis said, referring to his bespectacled high school look. “I just don't want to 1731571444To be honest. Apparently the doctors said I didn't need to do that. … If it gets to the point where my eye doctor tells me I have to wear them, then of course I will. But I was given permission to go out and play without them.”

Davis is averaging 31.2 points on 57.7% shooting, 10.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals per game this season.

While LA will welcome Davis back against Memphis, it continues to await the return of big backup Christian Wood.

Wood, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in September after missing the final two months of last season with an injury to the same knee, experienced pain during his training.

“We’re going to downsize him,” Redick said of Wood on Tuesday. “We will have an update in about four weeks.”