OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Anthony Davis, still searching for his first points of the game, stepped to the free throw line with 29.8 seconds left until the halftime break.<\/p>\n
Fans inside Paycom Center broke out with a chant of support toward the home team: \u201cOKC! OKC!\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis missed both freebies and the Oklahoma City Thunder fans roared with excitement. His final chance to score in the first half came just before the buzzer, but he was rejected at the rim by Chet Holmgren. Those same spectators cheered even louder.<\/p>\n
It was the symbolic sequence of a difficult night for the Mavericks big man, leading to a 132-111 loss for the Mavericks on Friday night.<\/p>\n
Davis finished with just two points in 24 minutes, which marked his lowest-scoring game since he was held scoreless on Christmas Day of last season when he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of that game and was limited to just seven minutes.<\/p>\n
It looked as if Davis would finish scoreless in Friday\u2019s game as well when he appeared to suffer an injury at the 6:35 mark of the third quarter. The Mavericks big man bumped his left knee against Holmgren\u2019s right knee and collapsed to the court while holding his leg. It led to a five-on-four advantage for the Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made the Mavericks pay on the possession with a wide-open 3-pointer.<\/p>\n
Davis removed the ice wraps from his knees and took his feet out of a bucket of ice before fielding questions about his uncharacteristic performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hold myself accountable for the play, but we don\u2019t have time – I don\u2019t have time to dwell on it,\u201d Davis said. \u201cWe have a 24-hour turnaround and we play tomorrow. Gotta get prepared for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the game, Davis said his knee is \u201cfine\u201d and he plans to play in Saturday\u2019s home game against the Houston Rockets, which will mark his first appearance in both legs of a back-to-back set since returning from a left calf strain.<\/p>\n
After sitting for the remainder of the quarter, Davis returned to the game in the fourth quarter and was constantly blitzed by the swarming Thunder defense, which ranks No. 1 in the NBA. It wasn\u2019t until the 8:08 mark of the fourth when Davis scored a reverse layup for his first points of the game.<\/p>\n
Davis\u2019 night was done less than 30 seconds later when Mavericks coach Jason Kidd chose to preserve his big man by inserting two-way center Moussa Cisse into the game.<\/p>\n
Overall, the Mavericks were overwhelmed by the NBA\u2019s best team. They were outrebounded 43-35 without P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, who were not available because of their respective right-ankle injuries.<\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 33 points on just 12 shot attempts, only missing two. Known for his ability to draw fouls and get to the stripe, Gilgeous-Alexander connected on 11 of 12 from the foul line. Holmgren added 15 points and eight rebounds.<\/p>\n
The second matchup between the Mavericks and Thunder wasn\u2019t quite like it was the last time, especially for Davis. Despite a 101-94 loss on Oct. 27, Davis had a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew the paint would be packed,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cAD\u2019s ability to score was limited due to that and his teammates gotta step up. We just didn\u2019t score there. I think we made a lot of the right plays. We just missed shots or we turned it over. We gotta look at how we can get him better looks, even with the double teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mavericks won\u2019t have time to dwell on the beating they suffered by the NBA\u2019s best defense because they\u2019ll host the league\u2019s fourth-best defense when the Rockets visit American Airlines Center on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.<\/p>\n
The Mavericks suffered a tough loss to the Thunder, with Davis having a difficult night. Despite his struggles, Davis plans to play in the next game against the Rockets. The team will need to regroup and come up with a new strategy to take on the Rockets\u2019 strong defense.<\/p>\n
Q: What was the final score of the game between the Mavericks and Thunder?<\/p>\n
A: The final score was 132-111 in favor of the Thunder.<\/p>\n
Q: How many points did Anthony Davis score in the game?<\/p>\n
A: Davis scored only 2 points in 24 minutes, his lowest-scoring game of the season.<\/p>\n
Q: Is Davis injured?<\/p>\n
A: Davis said his knee is \u201cfine\u201d and he plans to play in the next game against the Rockets.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the Mavericks\u2019 next game?<\/p>\n
A: The Mavericks will host the Houston Rockets on Saturday at American Airlines Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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