Swept under the rug of Luka Dončić‘s triumphant return to Dallas was Mavericks new star Anthony Davis‘ first game against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers since the seismic trade.
Davis finished with a quiet double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists). On the other hand, James delivered 27 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, as he finished out what Dončić had started to bring the Lakers home with a 112-97 victory in an emotionally charged game on Wednesday.
“Different,” James told reporters about battling with Davis. “Different, obviously we had our own emotions built into it. It was just different, I think when he was in New Orleans … I ain’t got comfortable yet with him being on the other side for sure.”
James and Davis remained good friends despite the Lakers breaking up their partnership which produced one NBA championship in 2020.
They shared a tight embrace before tip-off.
They were also caught by the television cameras messing around each other during a lull in the game.
James and Davis found themselves matched up often on the court as the latter enjoys playing his natural position — power forward — with the Mavericks — something he pushed the Lakers to do before they traded him for Dončić.
Davis made 1-of-2 field goals against James as his primary defender. James guarded Davis in 12 possessions, next only to PJ Washington (16 possessions). On the other end, James made 1-of-3 shots when Davis defended him in 13 possessions, the second-most next to Rui Hachimura (29 possessions), per the NBA matchup tracker.
James’ five straight points sparked a 7-0 Lakers run that turned a tied game into a 94-87 Lakers lead which the Mavericks failed to recover from.
“I think any time he got the ball — in [isolation] we did a good job, but his points were all slashes and over helps from other guys,” Davis said of James’ fourth quarter explosion.
Anthony Davis’ Face Time Call With LeBron James
After Davis was informed of the trade, the first person he called was James.
“When it happened, I honestly didn’t know [expletive],” Davis told LA Times. “He’s been my running mate for six years … so the first thing I wanted to do was call him. … Obviously, I know there are going to be a lot of political things in the front office when they talk to me.
“The front office has to do what it has to do and obviously they’re going to do what’s best for the organization. So I don’t know if I ever got the ‘real’ about any of it. I don’t know what’s true or what’s not, coming from upstairs. So, my thing is I’m gonna go to my counterpart who I’ve been running with and see what’s going on, get his reaction and that’s all it was. We had a conversation. That was it.”
Davis and James shared the same agency, Klutch Sports headed by the latter’s childhood friend Rich Paul.
Anthony Davis’ Message to Luka Dončić
Dončić marked his emotional return to Dallas with a season-high 45 points, including 31 in the first half. The Mavericks welcomed him back with shirts placed all over seats at American Airlines Center that read “Hvala za vse,” which is Slovenian for “Thank you for everything.”
Dončić was teary eyed when the Maverick played a four-minute long video tribute for him before the game.
Davis said Dončić deserved it. The two stars who were traded for each other shared a hug before tip-off.
“Both of us were caught off [guard], surprised by [the trade],” Davis told reporters. “But that was two months ago. It happened. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Just told him, ‘Good game.’ He played a hell of a game. Just a respect thing.”
