Anthony Davis exits Mavericks debut with non-contact injury after brilliant first half

Anthony Davis’ debut with the Dallas Mavericks was going as well as the team could have hoped, until the end of the third quarter.

The big man, who was the primary return in the massively controversial Luka Dončić trade, exited the game with a non-contact injury, apparently to his groin. He walked off the court under his own power, but in clear discomfort.

Davis was later announced to be doubtful to return with a lower-body injury.

Until that point, Davis was doing a decent job of showing why the Mavericks front office believed he could replace Dončić as the face of the franchise. He exited the game with 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 31 minutes while Dallas was leading the fourth-place team in the West 83-75.

He might have joined the franchise less than a week ago, but he still knew what to do on a pick and roll with Kyrie Irving.

Davis began his Mavericks career under as dark a cloud as one could imagine for a player of his caliber. He might be a 10-time All-Star and perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but he was replacing a player seven years younger than him who is widely considered to be one of the most valuable in the NBA, as well as one of the most beloved by their fanbase.

Dallas clearly felt an attachment to Dončić, and that was visible outside American Airlines Center before the game, the Mavs’ first since the trade was executed, on Friday. Hordes of fans gathered outside the building to protest the move, chanting and carrying signs with most of their ire directed at Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison.

The Mavericks reportedly beefed up security ahead of the game in anticipation of unruly fans, with Harrison also facing death threats.