Amidst the hue and cry over the Dallas Mavericks trading away Luka Doncic on Feb. 1, there was a bit of hope that Anthony Davis, the main chip they got in return for Doncic, would make them into a dark horse team in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, he suffered an adductor injury in his first game with them on Feb. 8, and he has been out since. There was even a bit of fear that he may not return for the rest of this season.
But Davis was back in uniform on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, and once he got on the board, the NBA sent a message about his return on X.
"Welcome back, Anthony Davis."
Welcome back, Anthony Davis
AD is on the board early in his return from an 18-game absence!
Mavs/Nets underway on NBA League Pass. pic.twitter.com/t9oNbwqF5X
— NBA (@NBA) March 24, 2025
Davis scored 26 points and added 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 31 minutes last month in his first game with Dallas before suffering his injury.
However, Dallas is up against it at this point. Star guard Kyrie Irving is out for the year with a torn ACL, and key big men Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are still out due to injuries of their own.
The Mavericks came into Monday with a 34-37 record and are in 11th place in the Western Conference. They have lost nine of their last 11 games.
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This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 5:12 PM.