The Dallas Mavericks face the Los Angeles Lakers in NBA Cup action, and the main storyline of the night is undeniably the return of Anthony Davis as he goes head-to-head with his former teammates and franchise. The matchup carries emotional weight, competitive intrigue, and plenty of eyes focused on Davis’ performance. To ease some of the tension surrounding the reunion, a current Lakers player offered Davis a message of respect ahead of tipoff.
It is an important game for the Mavericks, especially with Davis set to make his return to the lineup after dealing with a calf injury. His expected primary defender, DeAndre Ayton, is also back for the Lakers after missing an NBA game due to his own injury issue. Following the Lakers’ Friday morning shootaround, Ayton spoke candidly about the challenge of guarding Davis, as reported by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. His remarks reflected both respect and strategic awareness.
“You don’t want to foul him. AD is a great shot-maker. It takes the whole team to guard him,” Ayton said. “You treat him like a Giannis Antetokounmpo, you treat him like Nikola Jokic, like all the other superstars in this league where you need the whole team to be a presence in front of them. Try to throw two at him if anything. One man can’t really guard him.” His comments highlighted the level of collective effort required to slow a player of Davis’ caliber.
Ayton continued to explain the defensive approach the Lakers must adopt if they want to limit Davis’ effectiveness. “Try to throw two at him as much as possible, try to get the ball out of his hands early, not let him get to his spots,” he said. “He’s gonna face up and get to the mid-range, try not to foul him. Give him hard looks. He’s gonna do his thing, but just try your best to give him hard looks and get the ball out of his hands. I love to compete. Competing is fun, and seeing him out there is going to bring another competitive type of spirit.” His statements reflected both respect and anticipation for the individual battle.
Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball.
Both players are dealing with uncertainty ahead of the matchup
Anthony Davis has been limited to only five games this season for the Mavericks due to lingering injuries. On the other side, Ayton has taken over as the Lakers’ starting center after the team moved on from Davis, solidifying his place in the rotation. He missed the Lakers’ win against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the week but clarified that his knee issue was not expected to be a long-term concern.
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“It was just a little bruising, really. Stuff I could play through,” Ayton explained. “It’s not really something stopping me from playing. It hurts, but it’s something I can play through. Shootaround went pretty smoothly as well — I didn’t have any knick-knacks or uncomfortableness.” His comments suggested he was prepared to take on the physical challenge Davis would bring to the matchup.
Ayton has delivered solid production for the Lakers this season, averaging 15.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game. However, the overall impact he provides does not match the level Anthony Davis once delivered for the Lakers. For that reason, Ayton’s remark that the Lakers have “been missing that interior presence for a long time” did not paint the full picture.
