BBNBA: Davis injured in Mavs debut, Dillingham gets first start, SGA on historic run

The trade that broke the Internet materialized in its first real action on Saturday, as Anthony Davis made his Dallas Mavericks debut. Everything started off strong for Dallas’s newest player as Davis racked up 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks, but disaster struck in the 3rd quarter. While about to challenge a layup attempt, Davis went down with a non-contact groin injury.

Anthony Davis went to the locker room with a non-contact injury pic.twitter.com/uq4671SOJG

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 8, 2025

Usually when you hear “non-contact injury” you think the worst, but thankfully, all reports indicate it is nothing serious. After the game, Davis told reporters, “[My] leg got tight, like a little spasm. Obviously [I’m] dealing with the ab strain still, so just tried to get it loose; it wouldn’t loosen up, let go, but it’s nothing serious. I’m fine.”

Mavericks fans go the full Anthony Davis experience in his first game with the team. Monster stats, quirky injury, and even an “I’m here now!” taunt that looked identical to his, “This is my stage!” flex when he helped Kentucky win the National Championship in 2012.

The Anthony Davis era is off to a dramatic start in Dallas.

Rob Dillingham gets first NBA start

Rob Dillingham started his first basketball game since he was in high school on Saturday. The former 7th-man off Kentucky’s bench and NBA lottery pick got the full blown introduction lights show in his introduction to the game.

With a few guys out for Minnesota, the rookie was next man up. One of those guys unable to suit was was former Wildcat, Julius Randle. Even though he wasn’t able to play, he kept energy high on the bench all while wearing a black fur coat.

It wasn’t Dillingham’s best scoring game, as he had just eight points, but he led the Timberwolves in assists with six and help his team get the win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

ROB’S FIRST CAREER START pic.twitter.com/YBkT6EIH6H

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 9, 2025

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on a historic run

The leader in the clubhouse for NBA MVP scored 50 points (again) on Wednesday’s in the Thunder’s blowout win over the Phoenix Suns. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s scoring outburst has landed him in elite company. Check out these stats:

• Becomes 1 of 9 players ever to have three 50 point games in a 7-game span
• Joins Wilt Chamberlain as the ONLY players to score 50+ points on three straight Wednesdays
• Is the first player in OKC history to score 50 in under 35 minutes

There is seemingly no stopping this man right now and he doesn’t even usually play in the 4th quarter. He followed up that 50-point game with a ho-hum 25 point outing on Friday and a 32 point performance on Saturday, all Thunder wins.

Jersey swap for the ages and Booker’s season high

Kentucky fans love a good jersey swap between two former college teammates and Friday produced an epically esoteric one. Johnny Juzang and Nick Richards posed with each other’s jerseys after the Suns-Jazz game calling back to one of the biggest what-if moments of the Calipari era.

Juzang and Richards were both part of the 2019-20 squad that started to pique in March just as the powers that be cancelled the NCAA tournament due to Covid. Of course, Juzang went on to have tournament success with UCLA, but if you told these guys, who came off the bench at Kentucky, they would be swapping jerseys in the NBA five years later, I don’t even think they would have believed you.

Would’ve been National Champions if given a chance. pic.twitter.com/ol9puEzms3

— Daniel Hager (@DanielHagerKSR) February 8, 2025

As for the game itself, the Suns pulled out the win in overtime. Richards notched a double-double, scoring 12 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and coming up with four blocks to boot. Juzang chipped in seven points for the Jazz in 16 minutes off the bench.

The real BBNBA hero of this game, however, was Devin Booker. Book racked up a season-high 47 points and willed his team to victory. He also had 11 assists on the night. Without Kevin Durant who has been out with an injury, the scoring load falls on Booker’s shoulders and he is doing everything in his power to keep the Suns afloat.