The Mavericks acquired the 10-time All-Star along with Max Christie for Luka Doncic just before the trade deadline. However, he got injured against the Houston Rockets in his first game with the team, leaving the contest after notching 26 points (10-18 FG, 2-2 3 PT) with 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.

These are, of course, the post-Luka Dončić Mavericks we're talking about, so there's no such thing as pure optimism. While the victory over Brooklyn and the return of a mostly healthy Davis helped Dallas (35-37) move back into the No.