Anthony Davis’ Mavs Debut: A Roller Coaster of Hope and Fear

An in-depth breakdown of AD’s first game and the new-look Mavericks

Photo by Tim Heitman / Getty Images

Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a more dramatic opening night for Anthony Davis and the new-look Mavericks.

Outside the American Airlines Center, emotions ran high as fans gathered in protest near the Dirk Nowitzki statue, still refusing to accept the post-Luka Dončić reality. Inside the arena, the game couldn’t have started better for Davis and his new team.

Fueled by adrenaline and emotion, Davis was an unstoppable force in the first half—dropping 24 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block while showcasing the MVP-caliber dominance that makes him one of the league’s most impactful two-way players when fully engaged and when his outside shot is falling.

A quiet third quarter ended with a collective gasp as Davis went down with a non-contact groin injury, retreating into the locker room for the rest of the night, opening the door for nightmarish speculations and doomsday scenarios.

Postgame, Davis reassured everyone that it wasn’t a major setback—just a spasm related to his lingering abdominal issue, nothing serious in his words.

If that holds true, it’s great news for Dallas, but his injury scare in Game 1 in Dallas is an uncomfortable reminder of the lingering fear that will shadow this Mavericks season.

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Today’s highlights:

1. Unleashing a paint-protecting monster (🎞️VIDEO)

2. A different kind of versatile scorer and secondary playmaker (🎞️VIDEO)

3. Injury and the other AD concern

4. The mounting pressure and workload on Kyrie Irving 📊

5. Max Christie and Naji Marshall to the rescue (🎞️VIDEO)

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1-Unleashing a paint-protecting monster (🎞️VIDEO)

It wasn’t difficult to imagine how the Mavericks' defense would look with one of the best defenders in the NBA anchoring the middle. Last night, in the first half, we got to see it.

Houston, playing without their only proven point guard in Fred VanVleet and lacking playmaking and shooting (with two or three suspect shooters on the floor at all times), was the ideal opponent to revive memories of last year's Mavericks' "take away the paint" defense. Only this time, it was version 2.0 with AD in Dereck Lively II's place.

After a couple of early rejections, with Davis roaming off Amen Thompson, the Rockets began second-guessing and hesitating every time they approached the paint. They started the game just 3-of-13 at the rim and finished a mere 15-of-33.

We’ve seen Lively execute similar game plans against poor-shooting teams in the past, but the 2.0 version with Davis adds another dimension. Mavericks big men have struggled in the past to hold their own 1-on-1 on the block against physical bigs like Alperen Sengun. And last night in the first half, Davis dominated that matchup on both ends, outscoring Sengun 24 to 5 and leaving the Turkish big man without answers or confidence.

To be fair, Sengun responded and flipped the script after halftime, scoring 25 points in the second half, including 15 in the third quarter while Davis was still on the floor. Still, having a center who can go toe-to-toe with elite bigs—and even dominate them on both ends—is something the Mavericks haven’t had in a long time, if ever.

2-A different kind of versatile scorer and secondary playmaker (🎞️VIDEO)

One of the biggest concerns for the Mavericks after swapping Dončić for Davis is how to fill the playmaking void. Last night, Davis showed he can offer a different kind of shot-making and shot creation from the elbows and the block. He punished the smaller Rockets defenders with his scoring while also creating for others—like the first play of the game and the final clip in the video, where he quickly read the double team and lobbed it to Gafford for an easy lob dunk.

If the Mavericks’ big man defense got a 2.0 upgrade with Davis, the transformation on offense is even more drastic. Punishing smaller defenders after switches was one of the biggest gaps in the Mavericks' offense—one that allowed opponents to defend their centers with wing players and forced Dončić and Irving into frequent isolation heroics. If you look at the clips, you’ll see AD torching all kinds of smaller—but elite—defenders like Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, taking full advantage of switches and mismatches.

The even more intriguing development was the Mavericks giving AD the freedom to initiate the offense, allowing him to operate as the ball-handler in inverted pick-and-roll actions and make plays for others. Jason Kidd mentioned postgame that this was a key focus, and if you watch the video again, you’ll see AD running the pick action with Kyrie Irving as the screener on the first play. Per Second Spectrum tracking data, Davis served as the ball-handler in eight pick actions last night—the seventh-most in his 13-year NBA career.

3-Injury and the other AD concern

Photo by Tim Heitman / Getty Images