Lakers star Anthony Davis has been officially ruled out for Game 5 of the first-round series against the Suns, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets.
Markieff Morris will start in his place. Davis suffered a left groin strain in Game 4 on Sunday and was considered doubtful. He did come out onto the court on two occasions to test the injury, but the Lakers' medical staff ultimately decided he wasn’t ready to go.
The Lakers and Suns are tied at 2-2 in their first-round series, and Davis averaged 34.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in L.A.'s two wins in Game 2 and 3.
Morris has played only 12 minutes in the series and hasn’t made a field goal. He averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 21 postseason games, including two starts, for the Lakers during their championship run last season.
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