Grading Anthony Davis' groundbreaking performance in Dallas Mavericks debut

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers broke the internet last Saturday night when Dallas traded Luka Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber to Los Angeles for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick.

This move was a shock to all, as there were no rumors of Dallas looking to trade Doncic, but not all of this trade was a shock. Rich Paul, Davis' agent, was just as shocked as anyone when it came to the timing of the deal and Doncic getting traded, but he was not shocked that the Mavericks traded for Davis.

Paul knew how Nico Harrison felt about Davis, and both Paul and Davis seemed confident about Davis' overall fit in Dallas on and off the floor yesterday at the Mavs practice facility during Davis' Mavericks introductory press conference. Fans couldn't wait to see Davis play alongside Kyrie Irving for the first time at the American Airlines Center, and they got a show in this matinee matchup against Houston.

Grading Anthony Davis' outstanding performance in Mavericks debut

Davis' dominance started from the opening tip of the game, as he finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in the first half alone, and he showcased the exact reason that Dallas traded for him. The Mavericks' defense was amped up, and that can largely be attributed to Davis' presence.

His presence down low made a major difference on any Rockets player who decided to try to drive on him, and he showed promise when having to defend in space as well.

On the other side of the floor, Davis had multiple dunks (including a lob from Irving) and was scoring whenever he wanted to in the low post with hooks and fadeaways. Davis was unstoppable in the first half, and while his second half wasn't as dominant as his first half, he was still able to make his impact felt and lead Dallas to a 116-105 win over Houston.

Davis finished with 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks while shooting 10-18 from the field and 2-2 from downtown. His day ended towards the end of the third quarter when he suffered a non-contact lower-body injury. Davis was able to get back to the offensive end of the floor after his injury, but he stood in the corner, even on Houston's next possession until Max Christie intentionally fouled someone to allow Daniel Gafford to sub in for him.

Davis almost immediately went back to the locker room, and Mavericks fans' hearts dropped right when they saw him grimacing as he walked up the floor and holding his midsection. This was Davis' first game he had played since January 28, as he was dealing with an abdominal strain, and fans are praying that his injury is nothing serious.

The Mavericks haven't provided an update yet when it comes to the specificity of Davis' injury other than that it is a lower-body injury, but considering that it was a non-contact injury, it didn't look to be great. Mavericks fans know how serious non-contact injuries can be, as Luka Doncic suffered a left calf strain (non-contact) in his last game that he played as a Maverick, and this would be an absolutely brutal break if Davis can't return soon.

Regardless of Davis' second half that ended prematurely, he still showed tons of promise in his Mavericks debut and fans have tons to be excited about. He was having one of the most dominant debuts in Mavericks history before getting injured, and fans are anxiously awaiting an update on his status moving forward.