Anthony Davis drops a truth bomb on Dallas’ resilience

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks nearly erased a 22-point deficit Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas got within one point in the fourth quarter, but OKC eventually pulled away to win 101-94. However, the The Mavericks took a step forward in what has been a challenging start to the 2025-26 season. A 1-3 start led to some adversity, but Anthony Davis he believes in the resilience of the Mavs.

“We’re going to keep fighting until the end of the game, even with a bad third quarter,” Davis he told reporters after the game. “We gave ourselves a chance to win the game … We can’t have those defensive breakdowns, but we’re going to keep fighting until the end and we gave ourselves a chance for the second night of back-to-back games.”

As AD said, it was the second match in a row. The The Mavs beat the Toronto Raptors 139-129 on Sunday night — a victory that marked Dallas’ first win of the season.

Dallas is currently on a five-game homestand. Things haven’t gone to plan – as their record indicates – but the past two contests have left room for hope. The Mavs’ final home game is scheduled for Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers.

Anthony Davis is playing well despite the Mavericks’ struggles

One positive from Dallas’ season so far has been the play of Anthony Davis. AD looks like a potential MVP candidate. The big man is averaging 25 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per outing. He also shoots 52.1 percent from the field.

He needs more help from his teammates, but AD sets an example of leadership. However, his leadership goes beyond his play. AD often keeps the conversation focused on the team – not on himself – when talking to reporters. He hopes the team can do a better job of trusting each other on the floor.

“We competed tonight,” Davis said Monday. “We can do a better job of trusting each other… Just making the right play. When you come in and there’s four or five guys around you, trusting, I mean, we made some tough shots, but trusting the pass to the next guy in the corner, or wherever he’s on the floor… I’m just getting better at, like, little things like that.

“It’s not a thing that we don’t trust each other … But ultimately trust comes from being able to make the next pass.”

Leadership means sometimes saying the quiet part out loud. The Mavericks’ ball movement was questionable at best. They have serious questions at the point guard position, which has contributed to the lack of assists. Davis knows the team can be better at adding the extra and finding open teammates.

For AD, he often had to create his own look. He happens to excel in that department, but his already impressive numbers could be even better with increased team chemistry on the floor.

Anthony Davis and the Mavericks will look to win their second game of the 2025-26 NBA season on Wednesday night against the Pacers at 8:30 PM EST.