🏀 Down Goes AD While Jimmy Soars

Jerome Miron // Imagn Images

What to know: The dust is finally starting to settle around the NBA world as all those guys who were traded are actually making their debuts. Yesterday, two all-pros put on their new team’s threads and took the court for the first time: Jimmy Butler and Anthony Davis. And I’d argue it went just about how everyone expected.

Jimmy Butler: His first two points as a Warrior were pretty special, as Butler slammed home a designed alley-oop on the second possession of the game in Chicago, his hometown for many years in the NBA. Butler was extremely efficient, going 7-12 from the field and dropping in 25 points. Jimmy looked fresh, healthy, and motivated in his first game with his new team, something we haven’t seen from Butler all year long.

Anthony Davis: The Dallas Mavericks and their fans got the FULL Anthony Davis experience yesterday in his debut with the team. Davis, who now finds himself as the number one option again, went to work early. He has 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks in 31 minutes. It was vintage AD, he was dominant, explosive, and confident. But here comes the kicker: he left the game in the third quarter with an injury. Classic AD. I feel for the guy, I do. But man, this one just writes itself. AD is one of the more injury-prone guys in the league, and it has been by far the biggest knock of his career. Now, after just 2.5 quarters on a basketball player with his new team, he’s already going to miss a few games. I wish I could make these things up, but I just can’t.

This all being said, he was absolutely ELECTRIC in the first half. If you watch the highlights, you can almost feel the emotion of that crowd coming through the screen, it’s near goosebumps! Despite the injury, AD showed just what’s possible in Dallas, The guy’s just gotta stay healthy!!! Dallas-LA playoff series, calling it now, NEED IT!

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