Anthony Davis makes dominant debut for Mavericks but exits due to injury

Anthony Davis made an impressive debut for the Dallas Mavericks but had to exit in the third quarter against the Houston Rockets. The Mavericks registered a 116-105 win on Saturday. 

Davis had 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks in 31 minutes at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks revealed that Davis suffered a lower-back injury and thus could not return to the court.

Davis revealed his injury is not that serious and he would be soon back in action.

“Just the leg got tight, like a little spasm,” Davis said from his locker, which is the stall previously occupied by Doncic. “Just came back and tried to get it loose and everything. Obviously, dealing with the ab strain still, so just tried to get it loose. It wouldn’t really loosen up and let go, but it’s nothing serious. I’m fine.”

Meanwhile, Mavs general manager Nico Harrison has received a lot of criticism after the franchise decided to trade Luka Doncic. Furthermore, a protest was held outside the stadium, with fans calling for Harrison’s sacking.

“We’re not outside, so the only way we know about the protests is from you guys,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd, whose team set a franchise record with 18 blocks. “We play the game inside. We’re not playing the protests, we’re not outside playing. The protest has nothing to do with the game. The protestors have a right to do that and we understand where that’s coming from. But the game is about basketball, and we played at a high level against a very talented team in Houston.”

On the other hand, Davis feels things will get back to normalcy with time after a shocking trade.

“When you trade a guy like Luka, who meant so much to the city and to the organization, you’re going to get some of that,” said Davis, whose relationship with Harrison dates back to the star’s teenage years when the Mavs GM was a Nike executive. “He’s in good spirits, man, but I think he understands that, and it’s our job as players to continue to just play basketball, win basketball games and the rest will take care of itself.

“I think once we do what we think we can do and accomplish what we think we can accomplish, I’m pretty sure things will go back to normal.”

The Mavericks will next take on the Sacramento Kings on Monday.