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Tim MacMahon
LOS ANGELES — It had been almost a month since Anthony Davis last played for the Dallas Mavericks, but his former coach JJ Redick vowed pregame to give the 10-time All-Star the “requisite level of attention” in Davis’ return Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
That was evident from the first time Davis touched the ball, when a second Lakers defender rotated to him, setting the tone.
Davis, who had been sidelined since Oct. 29 because of a left calf strain, finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in the Mavs’ 129-119 loss to the Lakers. He was 6-of-10 shooting and didn’t attempt a free throw in 28 minutes, slightly exceeding the minutes restriction that had been set.
“We weren’t really trying to force anything,” Davis said. “They were kind of double-teaming every time I caught the ball. As soon as I catch it and turn around, it was two guys in my face. I was just trying to make the right play with the pass. The shots [will] come to me when I have an opportunity to score, but the rhythm’s going to get there.”
Lakers fans gave Davis a loud applause when his name was called during pregame introductions. This was the first game that he played at Crypto.com Arena since he was traded in the Feb. 2 shocking blockbuster deal that delivered Luka Doncic to Los Angeles.
Doncic, who said matchups with the Mavs will always have “some special meaning to me,” had another spectacular performance that seems standard for him, scoring 35 points and dishing out 11 assists.
Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves was arguably the best player on the court Friday, scoring 38 points on 12-of-15 shooting before exchanging jerseys postgame with his former teammate Davis.
“He’s one of the best players to ever touch a basketball,” Reaves said of Davis. “I don’t know why he wanted my jersey, but for me to get his, it’s pretty fun. … I got a lot of love for AD. He’s a big reason that [I am] where I’m at right now. From day one, he was telling me to be myself, don’t be anybody else. Continue to work and really, just be myself on the court. So I owe him a lot.”
It has been a rocky tenure for Davis in Dallas, as injuries have limited him to only 15 games plus a couple of play-in outings since the trade, which eventually led to Mavs general manager Nico Harrison’s firing earlier this month.
Davis will not play Saturday night against the LA Clippers as the Mavs continue to take a cautious approach with him.
Davis said he felt that he was ready to return a few weeks ago, and his personal medical staff had cleared him to play against the Washington Wizards. But after Dallas director of health and performance Johann Bilsborough expressed concern, Mavs governor Patrick Dumont stepped in to put Davis’ plan to return on hold until medical data indicated there was no risk of aggravating the calf strain or sustaining a related catastrophic injury.
Meanwhile, the Mavs floundered near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. They are 5-15 after Friday’s loss.
“Any time you’re sitting down and you see these guys, especially in close games, you wish you could be out there,” Davis said. “As one of the leaders, you want to go out there. It’s a competitive nature to go out and help these guys, but now I have opportunity to do that.”
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.