Anthony Davis is expected to make his Dallas Mavericks debut against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, according to Marc Stein. That means the big man will miss the team’s NBA Finals rematch with the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Davis, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Luka Doncic in a stunning blockbuster trade earlier this month, has been sidelined since Jan. 28 due to an abdominal strain. He went through a workout on the court in Boston early on Thursday morning and is officially listed as questionable.
While injuries have been an issue throughout Davis’ career, he’s been mostly healthy for a few years now. He played a career-high 76 games last season and had missed only three games for the Lakers before this minor abdominal issue.
Like everyone else, Davis was shocked when he heard the news that he had been traded to the Mavericks after five-plus seasons with the Lakers, including winning a title in 2020.
“I was actually at home, about to watch a movie with my wife, and got the phone call,” Davis told reporters after the Mavericks’ shootaround in Philadelphia on Tuesday via the Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis.
“So I had no idea. I’d just sent the team a text about congratulations on a win against the Knicks, big win, and then looking forward to Tuesday’s game against the Clippers as far as standings purposes. Then found out like an hour later I was no longer with the team. So I was in shock, obviously. I had no idea that it was happening.”
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The 31-year-old big man, who is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.1 blocks, said that after the initial surprise wore off, he was eager to get to Dallas, where he’ll team up with his good friend Kyrie Irving and still have a chance to compete for a championship.
“Now, I’m kind of over it and just kind of getting ready to play with Dallas,” Davis said.
The Mavericks, beset by injuries this season, enter Thursday in eighth place in the Western Conference at 26-25. They are only 2.5 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for fifth place but also just half a game ahead of the 11th-place Golden State Warriors.
