Davis received a warm welcome back to LA, even if he wasn’t playing.
Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks made their first trip to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Tuesday night. The most talked about headline was Luka Doncic playing his first game against the Mavericks, but Anthony Davis and Max Christie were also making their returns to LA.
Davis has been out since before the All-Star with an adductor strain, so his official first game against the Lakers will have to wait, but that didn’t stop the Lakers from giving the champion big man a video tribute during the first quarter of Tuesday’s matchup.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) warms up prior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Lakers made a large trade to bring in Davis in 2019, sending out Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Josh Hart, De’Andre Hunter, and two future first-round picks. He helped lead them to a championship in the bubble in 2020, making three All-Star Games and two All-NBA teams in his five full seasons in LA. He wasn’t expecting to be traded again, but no one expected this deal for Luka Doncic to go down.
Davis was in the middle of a dazzling debut when he went down against the Houston Rockets, putting up 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks before leaving in the third quarter. Dallas hopes he’ll be able to return in the middle of March.