Anthony Davis finally slays the pesky Lakers demon that haunted his career

Fortune favors the bold. And if that’s true, Anthony Davis is looking like a fortune teller. He predicted at the beginning of the season that he would be fine once he dropped some of his offseason weight, and now he’s looking better than ever during the Dallas Mavericks' current three-game winning streak.

Davis arrived at training camp at 268 pounds, 15 pounds above his normal playing weight. He had to be careful because of offseason surgery to repair a detached retina in his right eye.  But the unexpected weight gain was surprising and caused major concern for Dallas fans. Especially for a player already known to be injury-prone. Plus, his early-season calf strain was probably a byproduct of the extra weight, causing stress to his lower extremities.

Wasn’t this the same reason that Dallas shipped Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of the night? Only to get an older version of the same issue with less return?

Anthony Davis is back in shape and looks unstoppable

Davis has been accused of not taking his offseason training seriously enough, even dating back to his tenure with the Lakers. His recent injuries have been a deja vu of the worst order at the wrong time, and fans who closely observed his time in Los Angeles knew that his offseasons often led to early-season injuries.

So when Davis said, “I feel great, I’m moving great. I feel good,” before the season started, many of us rolled our eyes. This was a new wrinkle in the Anthony Davis odyssey that Nostradamus couldn’t have predicted. Could the basketball gods be so cruel? Yet again?

But Davis has been in elite form in the Mavericks’ past two games. He’s back.

The Mavericks are riding high on a season-high three-game win streak. Instead of rocking the boat, Davis is righting the ship. After sitting out Dallas’ electric comeback victory last Saturday over the LA Clippers, Davis gave rival Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets the full repertoire to the tune of 32 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and one steal on Monday. Davis then followed that with a monster 17-point, 17-rebound double-double, to go along with four assists, three blocks, and one steal vs the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Davis is shooting 52 percent from the field and an excellent 50 percent from 3-point range in the past two games. He’s been the perfect inside-outside threat to spread the floor, and the Dallas offense is buzzing with new energy. His newfound proficiency from downtown gives them another outside threat to complement Klay Thompson’s recent resurgence. The more the merrier. And Davis playing center has allowed rookie Cooper Flagg to move back to his more natural forward position and form a nice trio with young guard Ryan Nemhard, who has played magnificently at point guard as of late.

This is what Davis brings to the table. At his best, he’s a Thanksgiving feast of a player with all the trimmings and stuffing you can imagine. His talent is the gift that keeps on giving, just in time for the Christmas season. Offense? No problem. Defense? You got it. His ability has never been in question.

The durability is what Dallas has needed. And now Dallas looks to form Voltron once Kyrie Irving returns and brings Uncle Drew back into the fold.

“I never want to come in at my playing weight, because then I lose weight during the season, and then I’m too small. I lose about 10 to 12 pounds very quickly.” This is what Davis said at the beginning of the season. And his words have seemed to be prophetic. Davis is looking slim, trim, and ready to win.