DALLAS — Late in the first quarter, Anthony Davis was the victim of friendly fire.
As Davis tried to grab a loose ball, he took an accidental shot to the face by Dallas Mavericks teammate Daniel Gafford, which opened a cut over his right eye that required four stitches. Davis retreated to the locker room for much of the second quarter but later returned to the game with a bandage over his eye.
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It didn’t disrupt what would be his best performance as a Mavericks player.
Davis dominated with 34 points (14-of-23 shooting), 15 rebounds and five blocks in the Mavericks’ 120-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. With 3.4 seconds remaining and the game tied, Davis hit a go-ahead floater shot over Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu.
On Atlanta’s ensuing possession, Davis got switched onto guarding Trae Young and forced the jittery Hawks guard to throw up a heavily contested 3-pointer. Young’s prayer attempt didn’t even draw rim.
ANTHONY DAVIS WINS IT FOR DALLAS IN THE FINAL SECONDS 🚨🚨
HITS THE FLOATER OVER TOUGH COVERAGE TO SECURE IT!! pic.twitter.com/vCvDYXg2oV
— NBA (@NBA) April 3, 2025
The Mavericks (38-39) improved to 5-1 with Davis in the lineup. Wednesday’s win, coupled with the Sacramento Kings’ surprising loss to the Washington Wizards, meant Dallas increased its lead on ninth place over the Kings (36-40) in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament race to 1 1/2 games. The Mavericks’ goal is to remain in ninth place, so they can host a Play-In game later this month.
“When you work on it so much, it becomes second nature,” Davis said about his game-winning basket. “I’ve been shooting that shot since I was in New Orleans. That’s a shot I’m very comfortable with.”
In Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Gafford returned to the lineup after missing the previous 21 games with a right knee sprain. On Wednesday, the Mavericks got back another key member of their frontcourt. Second-year center Dereck Lively II was active for the first time since Jan. 14.
Lively only played 16 minutes due to a minutes restriction, but he produced one of the highlights of the game when he threw a perfectly placed alley-oop to Davis in the fourth quarter.
“There are going to be two of us out there at all times, two 7-footers,” Lively said. “I know (Davis) is going to find me when I’m open. I know I’m going to find him when he’s open.”
The Mavericks took a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter. On Monday, they squandered their double-digit fourth-quarter lead. It looked like they might repeat that mistake on Wednesday until their veteran leaders made clutch plays in the final minute.
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With 41.3 seconds left, Klay Thompson curled off a Davis handoff and drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game at 118. On Dallas’ next offensive possession, after the Mavericks forced an Atlanta turnover, Davis scored the game’s final basket. Davis’ perimeter defense on Young sealed the win.
The last three plays of the game featured Davis in a major capacity.
“That’s who (Davis) is,” said Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who recorded a 14-point, 10-assist double-double in the win. “I hope guys can see a lot of that for the city’s sake and his own. Any time you’re coming off an injury, you miss time and feel rusty. Obviously, he wants to carry this team and wants to perform.
“Coming into a new situation off an injury, new play calls, new everything, I feel like sometimes he was thinking instead of hooping. You need one of the best players of all time to just hoop.”
If Davis felt extra pressure to perform early in his Mavericks tenure, it was understandable. The fan base’s anger after the Luka Dončić trade was — and is — intense. An adductor strain disrupted Davis’ excellent Dallas debut on Feb. 8, which resulted in him missing 18 consecutive games.
Davis on Wednesday said the most difficult part of getting back on the floor was the mental hurdles he had to clear, not the physical ones.
“Even though I’ve been pain-free and haven’t had any problems, I will have a burst and then start thinking about it,” Davis said. “I just made up my mind after my pregame nap that I was just going to play. Whatever happens, happens. A lot of energy. A lot of force. A lot of dominance. I was able to catch a rhythm.”
The Mavericks have five regular-season games remaining. They visit the LA Clippers for a back-to-back Friday and Saturday at Intuit Dome. The Mavericks then host the Los Angeles Lakers in what will be Dončić’s first game in Dallas since the trade.
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Last summer, Lively was the recipient of Dončić’s lob passes as the Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals. Next week, he’ll face Dončić as an opponent for the first time.
“It was a whole lot,” Lively said about the trade. “Kind of being able to adapt to any environment they put you in. Kind of a move-on-to-the-next-play, move-on-to-the-next-day type of deal.
“You have to stay on your toes. You can never be too comfortable. You have to keep your circle tight. You have to keep your mind on straight. You have to be ready for anything.”
(Photo: Kevin Jairaj / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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