DALLAS — Anthony Davis had 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in his Mavericks debut Saturday but left the game late in the third quarter with a lower-body injury as Dallas beat the Houston Rockets 116-105.
Davis assisted on the Mavericks’ first field goal four seconds in and scored six of Dallas’ first 14 points, finishing the first half with 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He played a total of 30 minutes, 56 seconds.
Davis came to the Mavericks in the blockbuster trade that sent superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. One of the many criticisms of the trade was Davis’ history of injuries.
Davis went down without contact as Alperen Sangun drove past him for a layup. He was grabbing his groin area as he walked slowly toward the offensive end and stayed in the corner near the Dallas bench while his team ran the offense.
Davis didn’t try to go back the other way after the Rockets regained possession. The Mavericks committed a foul to stop the clock and get Davis out of the game. He stayed in the bench area briefly before leaving the court.
Davis, 31, a Chicago native and Perspectives Charter graduate, missed two games with the Lakers before the deal because of an abdominal strain, and he sat the first two games with the Mavericks after joining the team on a five-game trip.
With some Mavericks fans still protesting the controversial trade outside American Airlines Center before tipoff, Davis received huge ovations when he took the court for warmups and was announced in the starting lineup.
