Anthony Davis’ debut with the Dallas Mavericks was going as well as the team could have hoped, until the end of the third quarter.
The big man, who was the primary return in the massively controversial Luka Dončić trade, exited the game with a non-contact injury, apparently to his groin. He walked off the court under his own power, but in clear discomfort.
Davis was later announced to be doubtful to return with a lower-body injury.
Until that point, the 31-year-old Davis was doing a decent job of showing why the Mavericks front office believed he could replace Dončić as the face of the franchise. He exited the game with 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 31 minutes while Dallas was leading the fourth-place team in the West 83-75.
He might have joined the franchise less than a week ago, but he still knew what to do on a pick and roll with Kyrie Irving.
Davis is no stranger to injury issues, however. He was returning from an abdominal injury that forced him to miss five games and he has appeared in more than 56 games only once in the past five seasons.
The Mavericks need Anthony Davis to be an instant superstar
Davis began his Mavericks career under as dark a cloud as one could imagine for a player of his caliber. He might be a 10-time All-Star and perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but he was replacing a player six years younger than him who is widely considered to be one of the most valuable in the NBA, as well as one of the most beloved by their fanbase.
Dallas clearly felt an attachment to Dončić, and that was visible outside American Airlines Center before the game, the Mavs’ first since the trade was executed, on Friday. Hordes of fans gathered outside the building to protest the move, chanting and carrying signs with most of their ire directed at Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison.
The Mavericks reportedly beefed up security ahead of the game in anticipation of unruly fans, with Harrison also facing death threats. Harrison has attempted to explain the move as a needed improvement to his team’s defense, while reporters relay concerns about Dončić’s conditioning and upcoming contract extension, but the executive remains one of the most unpopular people in Dallas at the moment, and likely for the foreseeable future.
It usually takes years to properly evaluate which team “won” a trade, but the Mavericks are in the unenviable position of needing the move to work out as quickly as possible lest they lose even more fans. A significant Davis injury would not help there.
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