Anthony Davis Stats Tonight: How did Mavericks superstar fare against Atlanta Hawks? (Apr. 2)
Anthony Davis received the green light to play on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks. "AD", Dereck Lively II and Caleb Martin were all cleared just in time for the tip-off. The trio’s availability was a much-needed boost for the home team looking to solidify its hold in the play-in tournament.
The former LA Lakers superstar dominated whoever had the Hawks assigned to slow him down. "AD" had 13 points, six rebounds and one assist in roughly nine minutes.
Davis got help from the bench, which had 10 points combined from Daniel Gafford and Max Christie. Dallas kept in step with the Hawks to trail by 34-32 after one quarter.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd kept Anthony Davis on the bench in the first 10 minutes of the second quarter. The big man received an inadvertent hit from teammate Daniel Gafford on the head late in the first period. AD's only basket was an eight-foot hook shot off a pass from Spencer Dinwiddie, who finished the first half with nine assists.
The halftime break gave Davis a much-needed rest to bounce back with a dominant third-quarter display. He had 13 points and anchored the defense that limited Atlanta to 24 points. Dallas turned a 72-67 halftime deficit into a 101-96 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Anthony Davis capped off his impressive night with a running floater over Onyeka Okongwu to give Dallas a 120-118 win. Klay Thompson tied the game at 118 apiece with a 24-footer. Davis dragged the Mavericks to the finish line with the heroic shot.
Anthony Davis and Dallas Mavericks strengthen grip on a Play-In Tournament spot
The win over the Atlanta Hawks gave the Dallas Mavericks a little cushion in the race for a Play-In Tournament spot. Anthony Davis' heroics helped his team improve its record to 38-39. The Mavs are now 1.5 games ahead of the Sacramento Kings (36-40) and own a 2.5 advantage over the Phoenix Suns (35-41).
If the Mavs remain in the No. 9 spot, they will host either the Kings or the Suns in a do-or-die Play-In Tournament game. If Dallas wins, it will face the loser between the No. 7 and 8 seeds.