How Anthony Davis beat Kevin Durant in the Mavericks’ win over the Rockets
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets were gearing up for their second straight game on Saturday night. Dallas was fresh by a score of 132-111 Friday night loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City, as Houston defeated the Phoenix Suns at home on Friday 117-98. The Rockets had the momentum, but it didn’t concern the Mavs on Saturday night. Anthony Davis — who scored just two points on Friday — jumped up and went out for a duel Kevin Durant en route to the Mavericks’ 122-109 victory over the Rockets.
The Thunder contained AD without question on Friday. He found his groove and led Dallas on Saturday, scoring 29 on 14-19 shooting from the field. Davis added eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
“Great comeback game,” Jason Kidd said of Davis’ performance. “It happens, we’ve all had bad games, and that’s the next one. It just shows how important he is to our team.”
Durant also played well, scoring 27 points while shooting 11-20 from the field and 1-3 from beyond the arc. In the end, Davis and the Mavs found a way to get the job done. It was an impressive individual performance, and while AD had help from his teammates, he certainly set the tone for his team.
Davis was in command on both ends of the floor. The Rockets’ drivers thought twice about attacking the basket with AD waiting in the paint. On the offensive side of the ball, Davis was aggressive, as his NUMBER of field goal attempts led the Mavericks. One has to imagine the team didn’t mind his high volume of shots.
With the win, the Mavs improved to 9-16. The Rockets now hold a 15-6 overall record.
The Mavericks’ next game is Friday night at home against the Brooklyn Nets. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST.
2025-12-07 04:33:00
