Anthony Davis is sensational during his Dallas debut — until he’s injured
- Share via
DALLAS — Anthony Davis lowered his head and eased out to the American Airlines court for his warmup two hours before tipoff, his face stern, his eyes steady for his debut with the Dallas Mavericks against the Houston Rockets.
Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley threw a pass to Davis, the two of them familiar with each other from their time as teammates on a Lakers team that won the NBA championship in 2020.
Davis was the second-to-last player from the Mavericks to take the court, the fans applauding him as he started for his new team.
Davis had been a part of a blockbuster trade that rocked the NBA landscape on Feb. 1 and left Mavericks fans highly upset because their beloved Luka Doncic was sent to the Lakers. The Lakers also sent Max Christie to the Mavericks, and the young guard was a valuable contributor in his first two games for them.
Davis, however, had been hurt when the Lakers traded him, so he didn’t take the court until Saturday against Houston. When he did, he looked dominant, with 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots in less than three quarters of a 116-105 win.
“Obviously all day I was trying to figure out what reaction I was going to have,” Davis said. “But obviously it was welcoming and I think that just kind of helped with my energy, with the crowd reacting the way they did. Obviously a big-time win and just got to try to keep it going.”
But the good vibes dissipated when Davis exited with 2:11 left in the third quarter and headed to the locker room because of what they called a lower-body injury. Davis had departed from his previous game, Jan. 28 in Philadelphia, after playing 10 minutes because of an abdominal strain.
“I guess all right,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said after the game about Davis, who was in an ice bath at the time. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Davis said the injury is in his groin area and quad area.
“It’s like right in the middle,” Davis said.
When the game started, Davis made his presence felt immediately, first with a pass to Daniel Gafford for a dunk before blocking a shot by Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun and then throwing down a two-handed dunk after rebounding his own miss.
A timeout ensued and Davis turned to the crowd and yelled, “I’m here!”
“I was playing on a lot of emotions,” Davis said. “I know this city has a lot of emotions right now. Just trying to do my job and change that emotion for good. ... Dallas fans know what they got in a player like me. So, a little friendly reminder of who Anthony Davis is.”
He was given a standing ovation from Dallas fans who never wanted Doncic to leave, one of many ovations Davis received during Dallas’ win over the Rockets.
Late in the second quarter, Kyrie Irving threw a lob pass that Davis emphatically dunked, hanging on the rim for emphasis. The play gave the Mavericks a 20-point lead and forced the Rockets to call a timeout.
Davis and Irving found each other and produced a handshake, smiling, the fans on their feet roaring again. It was a reminder of the same plays Davis made during 5½ seasons with the Lakers.
Now, those plays will come from Davis in Dallas. Davis made 10 of 18 shots, including both of his three-pointers, in 31 minutes.
“It’s like a divorce, right — from both sides. So, it takes time. Not saying it’s going to go away in one day. But we keep stacking days as a unit, continue to get better one day at a time and get wins and just let it take over from there.”
Outside the arena, there was a strong police presence because of planned protests by fans who expressed extreme displeasure with Doncic being traded.
Kidd, who was a Lakers assistant when Davis helped them to the 2020 title, said he understood “the fans have a right to express” themselves.
“They pay their money for a game,” Kidd said. “They come to express how they felt and we understand the sadness or the hurt or confusion on the Luka trade. But we, as an employee of the Mavs, have no choice but to push forward with what we have.”
Christie was solid again, scoring 23 points, his third straight double-digit outing. His three-pointer with 1:38 left and two free throws with 51.1 seconds left were pivotal plays to help Dallas pull out the win.
“It’s not surprising for me,” Christie said of Davis’ performance. “ I’ve been with (Davis) for 2 ½, three years now. So, you guys can expect that from him every single night. He’s just such a great basketball player for any team that he’s on.
“Tonight, what he put up in the first half basically alone is what a lot of guys do for a full game. So, he’s just a very special player and looking forward to having him do that for us.”
All things Lakers, all the time.
Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
