Davis injured on Mavericks debut

The trade between Dallas Mavericks and L.L. Lakers did not go down well with fans of the former, but Anthony Davis started to change the minds of the fans with clutch performance, but his debut did not last long, as he left the court injured 31 minutes.

Anthony Davis' impressive debut for the Dallas Mavericks was cut short during their 116-105 win over the Houston Rockets because of a non-contact injury.

Davis, 31, moved to Dallas from the Los Angeles Lakers last week as part of a blockbuster trade involving NBA All-Star Luka Doncic.

Despite fans protesting Doncic's switch to the Lakers before the game, Davis scored 26 points with 16 rebounds and seven assists before his withdrawal.

He dropped to the floor clutching his lower body late in the third quarter, when he tried to defend a driving dunk by Houston's Alperen Sengun.

Davis missed the Mavericks win against the Boston Celtics on Friday as he was recovering from an abdominal strain suffered in his final game with the Lakers on 28 January.

He received a warm reception from the crowd when he assisted Daniel Gafford early in the first quarter.

Davis later played down his injury, telling reporters: "My leg got tight, like a little spasm. I came back to try to get it loose while still dealing with the abdominal strain. But I managed to loosen it up, and it's nothing serious. I'm fine."