To say that the Dallas Mavericks have endured a brutal stretch since trading away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers at the start of February would be a massive understatement.

But on Wednesday night, Mavericks fans may have reason to hope once again, as the main piece that they got in the Doncic trade, Anthony Davis, had his best night as a part of the team, hitting the game-winner in their 120-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Davis, who finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks in addition to being the hero for the Mavericks on the night, only recently returned from injury — with many fans and critics advising the 32-year-old star to not return to action in the aftermath of Kyrie Irving’s season-ending injury.

But the veteran Mavericks star is a true hooper, much to the delight of his former Lakers running mate, LeBron James.

Even though they are no longer playing for the same team, the bond that James has forged with Davis during their time together on the Lakers will never change.

After all, they’ve gone through plenty of battles together, even winning the NBA championship in 2020. This is the kind of bond that distance and time can never threaten.

The Lakers, of course, are still the undisputed winner of the Doncic-Davis trade, but the Mavericks had a vision of being a team that can overwhelm the opposition with size and strength on the interior, and performances like these from Davis show that there could have been a chance for them to execute that vision if only Irving did not go down with a torn ACL.

Nevertheless, the Mavericks are still fighting for their play-in lives, and this win over the Hawks goes a long way towards putting them at a safer spot.

With a 38-39 record at present, they have 2.5-game cushion for the ninth spot in the West standings with five games left in the season.

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) drives to the basket as Atlanta Hawks forward Dominick Barlow (0) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center.
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Anthony Davis re-injured his groin on his very first game with the Mavericks, keeping him out for multiple weeks and rubbing even more salt on their wounds after they became the laughingstock of the league in the aftermath of trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers.

Even after returning, Davis hasn’t been his best self yet, struggling with his shooting efficiency. But his monster effort against the Hawks shows that he is back on track, and the Mavericks could very well make life difficult for the other play-in tournament teams.