Lakers star Anthony Davis was assessed a flagrant foul after he delivered what appeared to be an inadvertent but very painful kick to a Phoenix Suns defender.
Davis was called for the flagrant 1 in the opening moments of the first quarter in his team's win on Tuesday night, when he kicked out his long legs on a face-up jump shot -- and drilled veteran forward Jae Crowder in what looked to be the family jewels. Crowder went down in a heap, and play was halted for a few moments as the officials hashed out the foul situation.
Crowder was assessed a common foul on the play, for reaching in on Davis as he rose up for the jumper. Davis split his free throws, while Crowder made both of his before exiting with two early fouls -- punctuating a strange opening scoring sequence for both squads.
In another interesting twist, it marked the second consecutive postseason Davis was assessed a flagrant for kicking out his legs on jumper, after he was hit with one retroactively by the league last year on a similar play against Jeff Green of the Rockets in the bubble.
The apparently unintentional low blow came on the heels of a chippy Game 1 between the Lakers and Suns, with tempers flaring over tough box outs and hard picks being set. Suns reserve guard Cameron Payne was tossed from that contest for mixing it up with Los Angeles' Alex Caruso.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram