The Dallas Mavericks' push for the NBA Play-In Tournament is looking strong after the team picked up their fourth win in five games since Anthony Davis made an early return from injury for the franchise. The now-Mavericks center dominated in the 120-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks, with fans going gaga over the potential for success with a healthy Davis on the franchise.
"The league when Kyrie & Anthony Davis play together again," said one fan, happy about the team's future next season.
"Anthony Davis Game Winner/Masterclass, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford back, AD 5-1 as a Maverick, Dallas going to host a play-in game. My franchise is back from the dead," said one excited Mavs fan.
This is the loudest the AAC has been since AD's first game with the Mavs... Anthony Davis is very very good," said another fan who can finally be happy about the franchise's situation.
Anthony Davis is doing everything he can. He needs some help. Badly," said one fan who wishes Davis had more support.
"Anthony Davis can't be stopped tonight," said one fan because of Davis' unstoppable performance.
Anthony Davis got me enjoying the game of basketball again," said one Mavs fan who has been through a rough two months.
Davis put up 34 points (14-23 FG), 15 rebounds, and five blocks alongside the game-winning floater. He also had a stretch of three blocks within minutes, making a huge defensive impact on the court.
He suffered an injury early in the game after getting grazed in the eye, but the center powered through it and returned to the court to deliver the win for the franchise.
The Mavericks were without their player with season-ending injuries, such as Kyrie Irving and Olivier Maxence-Prosper, but saw the return of Dereck Lively II to the court after nearly three months. PJ Washington was rested for the game, so pulling this win off with those absences is a major accomplishment.
The Mavericks have a 38-39 record in the No. 9 seed, sitting 2.5 games ahead of the No. 11 seed Phoenix Suns. A Play-In Tournament spot is nearly guaranteed, but the team will hope to stay ahead of the No. 10 seed Sacramento Kings to ensure they get to host the 9-10 Play-In Game.
The Mavericks aren't in contention for the No. 8 seed anymore, with their best-case scenario seeing them win every game while the Los Angeles Clippers lose every game, and that still not being enough for a spot in the 7-8 game.
This means Dallas will have to win two Play-In games just to make the Playoffs after making the NBA Finals last season.
Davis has averaged 19.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks in six games for the Mavericks. While his offensive production has fluctuated majorly, he has transformed the team's defense since getting healthy, and Dallas will hope that skill can be the key to their success as well.
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