Mavericks Notes: Davis, Dinwiddie, Hardy, Gafford

The spotlight will be on Luka Doncic‘s return to Dallas when the Lakers meet the Mavericks on Wednesday, but Anthony Davis will also be facing his former teammates. The All-Star big man, who spent five and a half years in L.A. and helped deliver the 2020 NBA title, downplayed the upcoming event after Saturday’s loss to the Clippers.

“No emotions,” Davis responded when asked how he feels about taking on the Lakers (Twitter video link from Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports).

General manager Nico Harrison’s desire to rebuild his team around Davis was among the motivations for the shocking trade that sent Doncic to L.A. two months ago. Harrison envisioned a tall, talented team that could overpower opponents, but injuries to Davis, Kyrie Irving and others, along with a lack of manpower due to hard cap restrictions, have prevented that from happening.

Instead, Dallas is trying to hang onto a play-in tournament spot with one week left in the regular season. Back-to-back lopsided losses to the Clippers this weekend left the Mavs at 38-41, percentage points better than Sacramento and two games ahead of Phoenix. Aside from Doncic’s homecoming, Wednesday’s game will be important for the Lakers as they try to hold onto the third seed in a crowded Western Conference playoff race.

“It should be electric,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said, per Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I think the fans will be excited to see Luka. We will be excited to figure out how to protect home court.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

• Spencer Dinwiddie has surprisingly become the team’s leader in minutes played this season, notes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. The veteran guard, who was the last player the team signed to a standard contract before the campaign began, has appeared in 77 games and logged 2,071 minutes. “It’s adjustment on the fly,” Dinwiddie said. “My task changes game to game, and sometimes, within the game.”
• Dinwiddie was the only point guard available on Saturday after as Jaden Hardy was ruled out shortly before tip-off with a right ankle sprain, Curtis adds in a separate story. When Dinwiddie rested, Dallas ran its offense through Davis, Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin, which resulted in 16 turnovers that led to 19 Clippers points. There’s no word on how long Hardy might be sidelined.
• Daniel Gafford who returned this week from a knee sprain, told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that the addition of Davis gives the Mavericks a “top-tier defense and top-tier offense.” “With how much gravity he absorbs, he can stretch the floor out,” Gafford said. “So I just have to make plays on the back end. That’s all I got to do, pretty much pick up where he leaves off.”