The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t win against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday and dealt with a 113-109 defeat. This marked the first loss the Mavericks had with Anthony Davis playing. Ever since Davis started playing for Dallas, his new team couldn’t seem to know how to lose. However, they were outplayed by the Nets, who had AD’s former teammate, D’Angelo Russell.
Davis played 28 minutes and didn’t get enough shots on the floor and finished with 12 points. The big man had seven rebounds and five assists in the game against Brooklyn. It was also the first time the 10-time All-Star played with Daniel Gafford since he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers for Luka Doncic. Gafford had a strong performance in his return with 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists on 77.8% shooting from the field.
The Mavericks couldn’t stop the backcourt of Keon Johnson and Russell. Johnson had 24 points on 52.6% shooting from the field. The one-time All-Star, on the other hand, had 18 points and 11 assists to lead Brooklyn. He also shot 57.1% from deep.
Following the game, the Mavericks’ loss was a conversation among fans.
“He’s not the reason y’all lost bruh,” a fan said.
“2pts in the second half. He’s here though right?” another fan commented.
“Meanwhile Luka is breaking defenders ankles and putting up these numbers in the first half,” one fan couldn’t help but compare him to Doncic.
Meanwhile Luka is breaking defenders ankles and putting up these numbers in the first half
— CJENKINS313 (@CJenks313) April 1, 2025
“He’s either injured still or just trash”
“When was the last time Luka played an entire game with the mavs and only had 12 points?”
“Bum a** washed glass body”
Bum ass washed glass body
— HospitalMavsTeam❤️🩹🏥 (@paklayLover) April 1, 2025
“10 touches only I thought his the main guy?”
“Why did he come back if he wasn’t healthy”
Dallas Mavericks head coach is “optimistic” about Dereck Lively II’s return
The Dallas Mavericks aren’t complete yet as they still have a few injured players. One player who has been on the sidelines for quite some time is big man Dereck Lively II. The sophomore big man remains out of the lineup because of a stress fracture in his ankle he sustained on Jan. 14.
Before the game against the Nets, however, head coach Jason Kidd said that he’s optimistic about Lively’s return. Although the former NBA star did not give a timetable on the youngster’s return, he told the media that the center will be back this week, according to NBA insider Christian Clark.
Daniel Gafford is available. He’ll play 15-20 minutes. Dereck Lively II is out. Jason Kidd is optimistic he’ll return this week.
— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) March 31, 2025
Lively has played 32 games this season, averaging 9.1 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Dallas Mavericks. Fans are excited to see him play alongside seasoned the seasoned big men on the team, Davis and Gafford.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
