The Dallas Mavericks may be putting together a late season despite the many issues.
A week ago something inevitable happened. The Phoenix Suns finally surpassed the Dallas Mavericks in 10th place in the Western Conference. It was expected that the Mavs slide would drop in rankings.
Anthony Davis later chose to make his comeback. The former Laker was eager to play, and his desire to go home earned praise and the respect of his teammates.
Davis played after the second post-match jury against the Orlando Magic, and it was a very impressive victory for the Mavericks.
The victory was on the 36th of the Mavs season, returning to 10th place ahead of the Phoenix Suns.
Anthony Davis scored 15 points in the limited minutes for the Mavericks, slowly strengthening his return.
Jaden Hardy leads the team with points at 22 and is full of praise for his new teammate, believing he will change everything for the team.
Hardy told a postgame press conference:
“Come in, we welcome him and make everyone feel comfortable.
“When he’s on the floor, we feel like we’re a different team. We play from him. His ability to lift the ball and start off the attack.”
He added that after the team has been depressing injuries and outcomes over the past week, Davis has helped the group regain happiness and confidence.
Hardy said:
“This really lifts us up. We have to focus on what we’re going to next, get the next win, get the play-in and finish the season strong.”
The Dallas Mavericks stepped up late last season and ran in a surprising run in the NBA Finals.
A lot has changed as Luka Doncic was traded and Kyrie Irving was injured, but Anthony Davis was a great player and Dereck Lively was still able to go back to pairing with him.
Hardy believes that available Mavericks players are applying themselves in the right way to get kicked out as much as possible, starting with securing a postseason berth.
He said:
“The story was good, the second half, guys, we had everyone’s backs.”