The Dallas Mavericks got their star back as the 2024-25 NBA season is near its conclusion. On Monday, Anthony Davis returned to the lineup after weeks of absence because of an adductor strain. The Mavericks were scheduled to play against the Brooklyn Nets. Their bout against the Nets is the second game for Davis, who has only appeared in one game since the blockbuster trade of the franchise with the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to rumors, Davis “pushed hard” to return to the lineup before his second game with his new squad. According to sources, the big man intended to return to action and play the rest of the season. This is why he was sent to the team’s G League club, the Texas Legends. Before returning to the squad, the 10-time All-Star participated in 5-on-5 workouts with the development team.
Before the game, however, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd addressed the reports that the All-Star center “pushed hard” on his return.
“I think you have to commend him for working to get back because this is his job. He feels responsible to get back to work,” Kidd said. “Just understanding that first part is who he is. And the second part, we can always talk about the future. That’s tyhe balance that we have to look at and tonight’s the start of him working towards hopefully playing for the rest of the season.
“We have to remember, this is — He gets paid to play. I know you think this is a joke, but his character of working to get back with 12 games left just shows how much he cares about what he wants to do and that’s to help this team win.”
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd on reports that Anthony Davis "pushed hard" to return from his injury this season:
“I think you have to commend him for working to get back because this is his job. He feels responsible to get back to work… He gets paid to play. I know you think this… pic.twitter.com/Li3j8I5ROY
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 24, 2025
Dallas is tied with the Phoenix Suns with a 34-37 record. Both teams are fighting for a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
Dallas Mavericks star “struggled” for a while after the Luka Doncic deal
The Dallas Mavericks surprised the entire league when they traded away Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Fans were devastated and have since protested against the front office’s decision. While fans felt betrayed, Kyrie Irving admitted that he struggled for a while after the management decided to ship his co-star to the Lakers.
Irving talked about it in a recent Twitch livestream session.
“It was emotional for a lot of people, and it was emotional for me too. I ain’t gonna lie to you—I struggled a little bit the first few days. But after a while—yo—you get to where you are by making some incredible moves,” Irving said (2:17:10).
Irving was having a great year for the Mavericks, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. However, his season was cut short after he suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the entire campaign.
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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.
