DALLAS — Anthony Davis lowered his head and eased out to the American Airlines court for his pregame warmup two hours before tip off, his face stern, his eyes steady for his debut with the Dallas Mavericks.
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.
At 1:45 p.m., Dallas time, Davis was the second-to-last player from the Mavericks to take the court, the fans inside 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 as part of the deal. The Lakers also sent Max Christie to the Mavericks.
But the good vibes dissipated when Davis exited the game with 2:11 left in the third quarter and headed to the Mavericks locker room with what they called a lower body injury. Davis had last played in a game on Jan. 28 in Philadelphia, but he departed after playing 10 minutes with an abdominal strain.
When the game started in Dallas, Davis made his presence felt immediately, first with a pass to Daniel Gafford for a dunk, blocking a shot by Rockers All-Star center Alperen Sengun and then throwing down a two-handed dunk after rebounding his own shot.
A fan holds up a sign welcoming new Mavericks forward Anthony Davis and guard Max Christie on Saturday.
(LM Otero / Associated Press)
A timeout ensued and Davis turned to the crowd and yelled, “I’m here.”
He was given a standing ovation from those same Dallas fans that never wanted Doncic to leave them, one of many ovations Davis received for delivering a stellar performance before the injury stopped his night.
Davis had given the Mavericks 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting, making both of his three-pointers. He had 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 31 minutes during Dallas’ 116-105 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday afternoon.
Late in the second quarter, Kyrie Irving threw a lob pass that Davis emphatically dunked, hanging on the rim for emphasis. The play had given 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 at each other, the crowd on their feet roaring again. It was a reminder of the same plays Davis made while playing 5 ½ seasons with the Lakers, the handshakes with LeBron James, the dunks, the crowd inside Crypto.com Arena appreciating his talents.
Now, those gifts Davis possesses are in Dallas with the Mavericks.
Outside of the arena, there was a strong police presence along with their dogs.
They were here because of planned protests and because some Mavericks fans had expressed their extreme displeasure with Doncic being traded.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd, who was an assistant coach when Davis played for the Lakers, said he understood that “the fans has 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.”
In his third game since joining the Rockets, Christie was solid again, scoring 23 points, his third straight double-double outing.
His three-pointer with 1:38 left and two free throws with 51.1 seconds were pivotal plays to help Dallas pull out the win.