LOS ANGELES — It's been almost a month since Anthony Davis last played for Mavericksbut his former coach JJ Redick vowed before the game to give the 10-time All-Star the “necessary level of attention” in Davis' return game on Friday night against Lakers.
That was evident from the moment Davis first touched the ball as the Lakers' second guard turned toward him, setting the tone.
Davis, who has been sidelined since Oct. 29 with a left calf sprain, had 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks for the Mavericks. defeat 129-119 to the Lakers. He was 6-for-10 shooting and didn't make a free throw in 28 minutes, slightly over his minutes limit.
“We weren’t really trying to force anything,” Davis said. “Every time I caught the ball, they double-teamed me. As soon as I caught it and turned around, there were two guys in my face. I was just trying to play the pass correctly. Beats [will] come to me when I have a chance to score, but the rhythm will come.”
Lakers fans gave Davis a standing ovation when his name was called during pregame introductions. This was the first game he played at Crypto.com Arena since he was traded in a blockbuster deal on February 2 that brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles.
Doncic, who said games against the Mavericks will always have “some special meaning to me,” delivered another impressive performance that seems standard for him, scoring 35 points and dishing out 11 assists.
Lakers shooting guard Austin Reeves was arguably the best player on the court Friday, scoring 38 points on 12 of 15 shooting, and then swapped jerseys after the game with his former teammate Davis.
“He’s one of the best players to ever touch the basketball,” Reeves said of Davis. “I don’t know why he wanted my T-shirt, but it’s a lot of fun for me. … I really love AD. [I am] where am I now? From day one he told me to be myself, not to be anyone else. Keep working and just be yourself on the court. So I owe him a lot.”
Davis' tenure in Dallas was rocky as injuries limited him to 15 games plus a pair of post-trade appearances that ultimately led to the firing of Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison earlier this month.
Davis will not play Saturday night against Los Angeles Clippers as the Mavericks continue to be cautious about him.
He said he felt ready to return a few weeks ago and his personal medical staff cleared him to play against Washington Wizards. But after Dallas director of health and performance Johann Bilsborough expressed concern, Mavericks Gov. Patrick Dumont stepped in and put Davis' return plan on hold until medical evidence indicated there was no risk of worsening the calf strain or suffering a related catastrophic injury.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are stuck at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. They are 5-15 after Friday's loss.
“Every time you sit down and see those guys, especially in close games, you want to be there,” Davis said. “As one of the leaders, you want to go there. It’s competitive in nature to go out and help these guys, but now I have the opportunity to do it.”
ESPN's Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.
