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LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis returned to Los Angeles the same night he returned from a 14-game injury absence, and he received loud pregame cheers from Lakers fans who were happy to see a longtime favorite healthy and hooping.
“The fans, obviously they’re great,” Davis said. “Their reaction, even my first time (back) here when I didn’t play (last February), they really welcomed me back to LA.”
The star big man’s first road game against the Lakers since being traded for Luka Doncic 10 months ago ended his struggles with another loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
But Davis didn’t look discouraged after putting up 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots — including one by LeBron James — while playing on the one-minute restriction.
“We’re still playing fun basketball,” Davis said. “We’re competing. We’re playing for each other, playing together. … We’re going to keep playing, keep fighting. We’ve got the right attitude, and I feel like we’re right there.”
Davis, 32, had not played since Oct. 29 with a strained left ankle. His game against the Lakers was his 15th appearance out of a possible 54 since the trade for Mayo.
He played 28 minutes against the Lakers, and coach Jason Kidd said Davis would not play Saturday against the Clippers as Mayo tried to keep Davis healthy.
“You’re talking about one of the best players in the world,” Kidd said. “Chemistry when you get him back on the floor, it’s going to take a while. For tonight, I just (need) a positive experience, positive minutes.”
After the game, Davis exchanged jerseys with old friend and teammate Austin Reaves, who scored 38 points for the Lakers.
“I mean, he’s one of the best players to ever touch the basketball, so I don’t know why he wants my jersey,” Reaves said. “But it’s fun for me to have him. I love AD so much. He’s a big reason why I’m where I am now. From day one, he was telling me to be myself, don’t be with anyone else and keep working. I owe him a lot.”
Davis will always hold a special place in the hearts of Lakers fans after he teamed with James to lead the franchise to its 17th title in October 2020 in the first 5 1/2 most successful seasons in purple and gold.
But since the trade, the Lakers have thrived — while the Mavericks have largely fallen apart, even after winning the draft lottery and acquiring Cooper Flagg.
Dallas (5-15) is 14th in the Western Conference standings after going 3-11 in Davis’ absence. General manager Nico Harrison, the orchestrator of the much-criticized trade, was fired on Nov. 11.
“As you know in this league, the train keeps rolling,” Kidd said. “It’s not a matter of trades or layoffs, you’ve got to move on. For AD, it was to focus on his body, get back healthy so he’s ready to go, get him in the lineup and get him some minutes. … As we move forward, we feel like we have a chance to win when he’s in uniform.”
Davis played against the Lakers in Dallas last April, when Donkic dropped 45 points in his comeback win. Although Davis wasn’t healthy for Mayo’s opening visit to Los Angeles last February, he received a standing ovation and a lengthy tribute video before scoring a triple-double to beat Donek Dallas.
While the Mavericks have established themselves in the absence of injuries to Davis and Kyrie Irving, the Lakers have excelled in Doncic’s first full season. LA’s win over Dallas was its sixth straight, and it completed a four-game sweep of the NBA Cup group stage.
Lakers coach Jay Reddick has repeatedly credited Davis for his willingness to buy into a rookie head coach’s plans early last season, which ended with 50 wins and a Pacific Division title despite a blockbuster midseason trade.
“He does a lot of stuff well on both ends of the floor,” Reddick said Friday. “There’s not a lot of players like him, he’s got all those skill sets. He’s just been a real pleasure to coach, and I’m very thankful that he bought me, coming on day one. You’re rooting for certain guys … just not when they play against us.”
