By Anthony Davis is set to miss multiple weeks after straining his left adductor during his debut with the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon.
The 2020 NBA champion shone in the Mavs’ 116-105 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday – racking up 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 31 minutes – but departed the game with 1:37 remaining in the third quarter, having dropped to the floor holding his groin after trying to defend a drive by Rockets center Alperen Şengün. After the game, he cited tightness in the muscle.
“Just the leg got tight, like a little spasm,” said Davis, who received huge ovations before the game. “Just came back, tried to get it loose and everything. Obviously, dealing with the ab strain still, so just tried to get it loose. It wouldn’t really loosen up and let go, but it’s nothing serious. I’m fine.”
However, he is now reportedly expected to be out for up to a month, an absence which would see him miss as many as 12 games, including a number of crucial matchups in the fight for a playoff berth.
The Mavericks are currently eighth in the Western Conference, 1.5 games ahead of the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. Their next two opponents, on Monday and Wednesday, are the Kings and the Warriors.
Davis joined Dallas from the Los Angeles Lakers on February 2 in one of the most stunning trade deals in NBA history, with five-time All-Star Luka Dončić going the other way as part of a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz.
A large crowd of Mavs fans protested the deal outside the American Airlines Center before Saturday’s game, calling for GM Nico Harrison to leave his position.
Dončić is expected to make his Lakers debut in their home game against the Jazz on Monday.
