Anthony Davis has played just five games this season. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Mavericks forward Anthony Davis appears set to return—and his timing couldn't be better.
Davis will play for Dallas against the Lakers Friday after missing just under a month due to a calf strain, according to a Friday afternoon report from [Shams Charania of ESPN](https://x.com/shamscharania/status/1994464191311163412?s=46&t=zisH9xMXIyshjUukRhZDug). This will be the first game Davis has played against Los Angeles on the road since the Lakers traded him to the Mavericks for guard Luka Dončić on Feb. 2.
Dallas has struggled mightily without Davis, and currently sits at 14th in the Western Conference just two years after playing for the NBA title. On Nov. 11, the Mavericks dismissed general manager Nico Harrison—the architect of the much-maligned Dončić trade.
In five games this season, Davis is averaging 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Dallas won two of those five games, all of which took place in October.
The Mavericks, still just two games out of the NBA's second play-in spot, play back-to-back road games against the Clippers and Nuggets after visiting the Lakers.