Anthony Davis did not score in the first half Thursday night when the Dallas Mavericks faced the Detroit Pistons. He missed all seven of his field-goal attempts, battled through illness, and spent much of the opening two quarters anchoring the defense while searching for offensive rhythm.
By the end of the night, Davis had delivered the defining moments.
Davis scored the game-winning basket with 1:32 remaining in overtime, secured the final defensive rebound after Detroit missed three point-blank attempts, and anchored a Mavericks defense that survived one of the most physical games of the season to earn a 116-114 overtime win over the Pistons at American Airlines Center.
The performance was not built on volume scoring. It was built on presence.
A Slow Start, A Steady Impact
Davis finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks in 37 minutes, recording his eighth double-double of the season. He did not score until the 6:29 mark of the third quarter, when a floater finally dropped. A possession later, he drilled a three-pointer that stretched Dallas’ lead and steadied the game.
“I miss all the games, so I don’t know,” Davis said when asked if it was the most physical contest the Mavericks have played this season. “But yeah, they try to be a physical team, and we just had to try to match their physicality.”
Detroit entered the night with the best record in the Eastern Conference, and Davis said the margin for error was clear early.
“We stayed the course,” Davis said. “Then in the fourth, we started turning the ball over, taking questionable shots, stopped playing defense and started fouling a little bit, and they got back in it. But we stayed resilient.”
That physical tone was felt across the floor, particularly in the paint, where Davis repeatedly absorbed contact while stabilizing the defense.
“They’re a physical team,” Cooper Flagg said. “If you’re not physical back, they’re going to punish you.”
Playing Through Illness, Staying Available
Davis entered the game questionable due to illness, and the toll became increasingly evident as the night progressed.
“Still under the weather,” Davis said. “I actually threw up twice during the game. But I’m just trying to compete, man. Just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win, leaving it all on the floor.”
Despite that, Davis remained on the court in the most demanding moments — defending the rim, battling Jalen Duren on the glass, and serving as the backline organizer as Detroit mounted its late push.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd credited Davis’ ability to stay engaged even when the offense lagged early.
“I thought AD was really good on both ends,” Kidd said. “Being able to clean up some of those looks that we had, and then defensively, to come up with that rebound in that scrum was big, big winning plays for us.”
The Possession That Swung Overtime
Overtime opened with Brandon Williams converting two free throws. Cade Cunningham answered with a drive to tie the game at 112.
Then Davis delivered.
As Flagg attacked downhill, Detroit committed extra help toward the ball. Davis slid into space, received the drop-off pass, and finished a dunk that put Dallas ahead for good with 1:32 remaining.
“If they’re going to put two on me, I’ve always got to make the right play,” Flagg said. “It’s just about being a basketball player.”
Davis described the connection as a product of repetition and trust.
“Just constantly playing together,” Davis said. “Him making the right reads and me being in the right spot. He gets a lot of attention when he drives to the basket.”
Kidd viewed the sequence as emblematic of Davis’ late-game composure.
“We talk about it every day — understanding winning situations,” Kidd said. “Coop made a heck of a play with the dump-off there late for him to get that dunk.”
Closing On Defense
Detroit still had chances. In the final seconds, the Pistons missed three shots from point-blank range. Davis secured the rebound with 0.9 seconds left, absorbed contact, and effectively ended the game.
“That rebound in that scrum was big,” Kidd said. “Those are winning plays.”
Davis said the team’s confidence never wavered, even as Detroit erased an 18-point third-quarter deficit.
“We’re just confident in our group,” Davis said. “Confident in our game plans, confident in what the coaches want us to do, and confident in each other. We feel like we can beat any team in this league.”
A Two-Way Standard
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Davis’ versatility created problems throughout the night.
“He is all the things that we’ve seen him to be,” Bickerstaff said. “A legit dominant player on both ends of the floor… the ability to score in a multitude of ways, protect the rim, rebound the basketball, push the basketball.”
The Mavericks needed every part of that package Thursday — from Davis surviving a scoreless half, to battling illness, to delivering the final basket and rebound in overtime.
That, Davis said, is the job.
“Just trying to compete,” he said.
On a night defined by physicality, resilience, and razor-thin margins, that approach proved decisive.
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