Anthony Davis has pushed to play again and Monday night he gets his wish.
Davis will return to the Mavericks lineup Monday night when Dallas takes on Brooklyn in New York, something Mavericks coach Jason Kidd confirmed pregame, adding Davis was on a minutes restriction (28). Davis has been out since Feb. 8, when he strained his adductor during his one game as a Maverick since the stunning trade that sent him to Texas for Luka Doncic.
Davis had pushed for this return despite Kyrie Irving being out for the season with a torn ACL and Dallas being in danger of sliding out of even the play-in (the Mavericks and Suns are currently tied for the tenth seed in the West and the final play-in spot). All the talk about how Dallas made a mistake with the Doncic trade likely plays into that (even though the frustration of Mavericks fans is not aimed at Davis).
Davis is averaging 25.7 points and 12 rebounds a game while shooting 52.8% from the floor and playing elite defense this season — he was on his way to an All-NBA spot before the latest injury.
If the Mavericks slide further out of the playoff picture over their final 11 games, even with Davis, he could get pulled to avoid risking further injury (some in the organization argued that should have happened anyway).
But starting Monday night, Davis is back. It’s what he wanted.
