Anthony Davis‘ exit with what the Dallas Mavericks called a “lower-body injury” dampened his monster debut and the team’s statement win following the most shocking trade in NBA history.
Davis exited with 1:37 left in the third quarter but not after rocking the American Airlines Arena and proving his worth as centerpiece of the Luka Doncic return package. The 32-year-old Davis produced MVP-type numbers: 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 31 minutes in the Mavericks’ 116-105 win over their Texas rivals Houston Rockets.
Davis downplayed the injury even though he did not return to finish the game.
“It’s nothing serious, I’m fine,” Davis told reporters, explaining his legs just got tight and felt a little spasm.
It was Davis’ first game since suffering an abdominal muscle strain in his last Lakers game on Jan. 28.
Based on the video of Davis’ non-contact injury that saw him winced in pain and held his abdomen, an NBA and NFL injury expert outlines the worst possible outcome.
Dr. Evan Jeffries, owner of the San Diego-based Evolving Motion Physical Therapy, said Davis could miss a significant time if his abdominal injury worsened.
“This was the biggest concern with Anthony Davis rushing back from abdominal injury,” Dr. Jeffries wrote on X. “Making the strain worse than what it was. He could potentially now have a Grade II strain with a timeline to return of 4-6 weeks.”
This was the biggest concern with Anthony Davis rushing back from abdominal injury
-Making the strain worse than what it was
He could potentially now have a Grade II strain with a timeline to return of 4-6 WEEKS pic.twitter.com/0ZeFP7FuA8
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) February 8, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Mavericks will host the Sacramento Kings on Monday, Feb. 10, giving Davis two days to recover from
Protest Mars Mavericks First Home Game After Luka Trade
Around 1,000 people gathered outside the American Airlines Arena before the game and held a rally to criticize the Mavericks, especially the team’s general manager Nico Harrison, for trading Doncic, ESPN reported.
The report added Harrison “received multiple death threats since the trade” and did not make a public appearance. He “did not sit in his normal seat in the arena’s lower bowl.”
Harrison earned the ire of fans for trading the 25-year-old Doncic, a generational talent who is considered a top-3 player in the world right now. It became doubly painful for the heartbroken Mavericks die-hards with the coldness of the execution of the trade that was kept under wraps from the public.
“One thing about me, I’m not going to talk bad about any players, like that’s not going to do us or me any good,” Harrison told reporters during his Feb. 2 press conference explaining why he made the trade. “I’ll just say there’s levels to it. There are people that fit the culture and there are people that come in and add to the culture. And those are two distinct things. And I believe the people that are coming in are adding to the culture.”
Luka ‘Takes the High Road’
Despite the rumors about his poor conditioning and off-court habits that came out from Dallas after he was traded, Doncic did not speak negatively about the franchise and its front office.
“At some point, I knew this was going to happen, but I would say I always take the high road,” Dončić told reporters on Tuesday, Feb. 4, during his Los Angeles Lakers introductory press conference. “You know I had my amazing moments in Dallas with all my teammates, coaches and most importantly, the fans. You know they always supported me and it was an amazing journey.”
The trade shocked Doncic, who revealed he even had to check the calendar as he initially thought it was just an April Fools’ Day prank.
“That’s their decision so I have no comment on that,” Dončić said when he was asked if he had a message to the Mavericks front office, particularly, to Harrison. “They made the decision. I don’t know why, but that’s their decision so I can’t do anything about it.”
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