Anthony Davis Explains Why He Refused to Be Shut Down for Season After Injury

Tim Capurso | 16 Hours Ago

Davis dribbles up court during a game. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

After Anthony Davis suffered an adductor strain during his dominant debut for the Dallas Mavericks—and as the club struggled during his increasingly lengthy injury absence—reports emerged that the 10-time All-Star could be shut down for the remainder of the season.

But Davis on Monday returned to the court, chipping in 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 27 minutes of action in Dallas's 120-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

After the game, Davis dismissed the idea that he ever would have been shut down due to the injury while speaking to Bally Sports Southwest's Leslie McCaslin.

"I play basketball, this is what I get paid to do—is play basketball," Davis said when asked why it was important for him to return. "Anytime I get a chance to come out and play, I'm gonna do it. I see, obviously, we were a man down forever. Sometimes playing with seven guys, sometimes playing with six, eight."

"If I felt like I was 100 percent healthy to go play I was going to do that. I stressed that to my team. I stressed that to the organization as well. So, tonight, we felt like I was able to go play and that's what I wanted to do. I'm not the one to throw in the towel and sit down."

As Davis mentioned, the Mavericks' injury situation, somewhat manageable when the star big man went down on Feb. 8, became downright perilous for the franchise. During a March 9 loss to the Phoenix Suns, Dallas had only nine players dress for the game, and that number quickly dropped to seven when Kessler Edwards and Dwight Powell each suffered injuries after colliding with each other during the contest.

Things got so bad that at one point, it seemed like forfeits could be on the table if the situation didn't improve.

All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and forward Olivier Maxence-Prosper are both sidelined for the remainder of the season, while Dante Exum is out indefinitely. The likes of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are working their respective ways back from injuries. Clearly, Dallas isn't out of the woods yet.

But having Davis back helps tremendously, particularly as the Mavericks look to fend off the Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the NBA's play-in tournament ahead of the postseason.

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