Mavs’ Anthony Davis outshined by Doncic, Reaves in L.A. return

LOS ANGELES — It’s been almost a month since Anthony Davis last played for the Mavericks, but his former coach JJ Redick vowed to give the 10-time All-Star the “expected level of attention” in Davis’ return Friday night against the Lakers.

This was evident the first time Davis touched the ball, when another Lakers defender turned to him, setting the tone.

Davis, who had been out since October 29 with a left calf strain, finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in the Mavericks’ 129–119 loss to the Lakers. He was shooting 6 of 10 and did not attempt a free throw in 28 minutes, slightly over the set minutes restriction.

“We weren’t really trying to force anything,” Davis said. “Every time I caught the ball they were kind of double-teaming. As soon as I caught it and turned, there were two guys in front of me. I was just trying to make the right play with the pass. Shots would come to me when I had a chance to score, but the rhythm would come there.”

When Davis’ name was called during pregame introductions, Lakers fans gave a loud applause. This was the first game they played at the Crypto.com Arena since they were traded on February 2 in the blockbuster deal that brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles.

Doncic, who said the matchup with the Mavericks will always “hold something special for me”, had another stellar performance that seems to be the standard for him, scoring 35 points and dishing out 11 assists.

Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves was arguably the best player on the court Friday, scoring 38 points on 12-of-15 shooting before exchanging jerseys with his former teammate Davis after the game.

“He’s one of the best players to ever touch a basketball,” Reeves said of Davis. “I don’t know why he wanted my jersey, but for me to get his jersey, it’s so fun. … I’ve got a lot of love for Eddie. He’s a big reason why (I’m) where I am right now. From day one, he was telling me to be myself, don’t be like anybody else. Keep working and, really, just be me on the court. So I’m very grateful to him.”

It’s been a difficult tenure for Davis in Dallas, as injuries have limited him to 15 games and a few play-outs since the trade, which ultimately led to the firing of Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison earlier this month.

Davis will miss Saturday night against the LA Clippers as the Mavericks are taking a cautious approach toward him.

He said he felt he was ready to return a few weeks ago and his personal medical staff cleared him to play against the Washington Wizards. But after Dallas health and performance director Johan Bilsborough expressed concerns, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont put Davis’ return plans on hold until medical data indicated there was no risk of aggravating a calf strain or sustaining a related catastrophic injury.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks have faltered near the bottom of the Western Conference. They are 5-15 after Friday’s loss.

“Whenever you sit down and watch these guys, especially in close games, you wish you could have been there,” Davis said. “As one of the leaders, you want to go out there. It’s a competitive nature to go out and help these guys, but now I have the opportunity to do that.”

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.