Mavs’ Anthony Davis gets cheers and another loss in his return to LA after a 14-game injury absence

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis returned to Los Angeles on the same night he came back from a 14-game injury absence, and he received loud pregame cheers from Lakers fans who were thrilled 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 still ended with another loss for his struggling Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

But Davis didn’t seem discouraged after putting up 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots — including a swat of LeBron James — while playing on a minutes 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 have the right attitude, and I feel like we’re right there.”

The 32-year-old Davis hadn’t played since Oct. 29 due to a left calf strain. His game against the Lakers was his 15th appearance out of a possible 54 for the Mavs since the trade.

He played 28 minutes against the Lakers, and coach Jason Kidd said Davis won’t play Saturday against the Clippers as the Mavs attempt to keep Davis healthy.

“You’re talking about one of the best players in the world,” Kidd said. “The chemistry when you get him back on the floor, it’s going to take a little time. For tonight, I just (wanted) 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 a basketball, so I don’t know why he wanted my jersey,” Reaves said. “But for me to get his, it’s pretty fun. I’ve got a lot of love for AD. He’s a big reason that I’m where I’m at right now. From Day 1, he was telling me to be myself, don’t be anybody else and continue to work. I owe him a lot.”

Davis will always have a special place in Lakers fans’ hearts after he teamed up with James to lead their franchise to its 17th title in October 2020 during the first of his 5 1/2 mostly 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 getting 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 Nov. 11.

“As you know in this league, the train keeps moving,” Kidd said. “No matter of a trade or a dismissal, you’ve got to keep moving. For AD, it was to focus on his body, come back healthy so he’s ready to go, get him in the lineup and get him some minutes. … As we go 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 Doncic dropped 45 points in his return victory. Although Davis wasn’t healthy for the Mavs’ initial visit to Los Angeles last February, he received a standing ovation and a lengthy tribute video before Doncic put up a triple-double to beat Dallas.

While the Mavericks have foundered in the injury absences of Davis and Kyrie Irving, the Lakers have been outstanding in Doncic’s first full season. LA’s victory over Dallas was its sixth straight, and it completed a four-game sweep of NBA Cup group play.

Lakers coach JJ Redick has repeatedly credited Davis for his willingness to buy into a rookie head coach’s plans at the start of last season, which ended with 50 wins and a Pacific Division title despite the blockbuster midseason trade.

“He does so much stuff well at both ends of the floor,” Redick said Friday. “There’s just not a lot of players that are like him, that have all of those skill sets. It was really just a pleasure to coach him, and very grateful that I had buy-in from him, coming in on day one. You’re rooting for certain guys … just not when they play against us.”

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