ANTHONY Davis’ impressive Dallas Mavericks debut was cut short as they cruised to a 116-105 victory over the Houston Rockets in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Davis, who was acquired via trade from Los Angeles Lakers last week, tallied a double-double of 26 points and 16 rebounds to go with seven assists and three blocks before he exited in the third quarter due to tightness in his groin and quad area.
Max Christie and Naji Marshall added 23 and 16 markers, respectively, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving added 13 points each and Spencer Dinwiddie ended with 10 points as the Mavericks improved to a 28-25 win-loss slate.
The Mavericks leaned on Davis’ exploits in the opening half to establish a 65-46 lead but the Rockets slowly clawed their way back to threaten to within 103-110 on a basket by Alperen Sengün.
Christie and Dante Exum connected two free throws each to widen the lead to 114-103. Sengun came up with another inside basket but Christie sealed the win for the Mavericks with two free throws.
Sengün finished with 30 points and eight rebounds, Filipino-American Jalen Green and Amen Thompson added 24 and 20 points, respectively, as the Rockets dropped to a 32-20 record.
Meanwhile, Austin Reaves stepped up in the absence of stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic as Los Angeles Lakers prevailed over Indiana Pacers, 124-117, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Reaves finished with a season-high of 45 points to go with seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals as the Lakers extended their winning streak to improve to a 30-19 record.
Rui Hachimura added 23 points and nine rebounds, while Gabe Vincent and Jordan Goodwin contributed 12 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Lakers.
Paskal Siakam finished with 23 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 19 markers, while Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, Thomas Bryant, and Ben Sheppard had 16, 14, 13, and 10 points, respectively, as the Pacers dropped to 29-21./PN
BOX SCORE:
DALLAS 116 — Davis 26, Christie 23, Marshall 16, Irving 13, Thompson 13, Dinwiddie 10, Washington 6, Gafford 5, Exum 4, Edwards 0, Prosper 0.
HOUSTON 105 — Sengün 30, Ja. Green 24, Thompson 20, Brooks 9, Eason 8, Whitmore 7, Sheppard 3, Adams 2, Holiday 2, Tate 0.
Quarterscores: 33-20, 65-48, 89-79, 116-105.
