Playing in his first regular season game since joining the Wizards last february Anthony Davis looked like his old self, drawing “MVP” chants from the Washington crowd before the end of the first quarter and finishing with 34 points and 12 rebounds as he led the team to a 128-116 win over Milwaukee. Noah Trister of the Associated Press.
“I played the real game for nine months” Davis said. “I had so much fun tonight. Lots of emotion, lots of energy.”
In addition to being Davis’ first game as a Wizard, it was also the first time he teamed up with a star point guard Trey Young for regular season competition. Young also had a productive night with 20 points and 13 assists, and said after the win that he wants to do whatever he can to help his frontcourt teammate have a big year.
“I want to help him get MVP” Young said of Davis. “On nights like tonight and we keep winning games, he’s going to be in the conversation.”
Fan support in DC has been inconsistent over the last three years as the Wizards have won just 15, 18 and 17 regular season games. Even with the No. 1 overall A. Ya. Dybants Wizards fans, suspended from Wednesday’s game, had more to cheer about than most nights this stretch.
“Some of the guys on our team who have been here a short time were saying, ‘We haven’t had this in a long time.'” Davis said of the atmosphere at Capital One Arena. “The crowd was great. They loved it. They got us over the hump.”
We have more from the Southeast:
- It was impossible to forget Heat debut for Janis Antecumpawho scored 35 points but dropped a 25-point game against the Timberwolves. How ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe writes, Antetokounmpo mentioned “confidence” five times in his postgame remarks. “We have to trust each other. When things don’t go our way, we have to dig in. We didn’t do that tonight.” – said the superstar forward. “Our effort has to be better. It all starts with me. My effort has to be better. I set the tone.”
- Appearance on 96.9 Game in Orlando on Tuesday Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Veltman said the team had “substantial” discussions with Anthony Black‘s camp on extending the rookie scale before Monday’s deadline. Veltman declined to provide specifics when asked if the two sides were close to a deal. “I never think in those categories. The answer is: I don’t know.” Veltman said, trans Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “Obviously it takes two sides to come to an agreement and obviously we couldn’t do that. It’s not the only chance we have, the way the NBA system is set up. But obviously it changes the math a little bit.”
- Former lawyers Heat and Hornets security guard Terry Rozier and his friend and co-prosecutor Deniro Luster asked a federal judge to split their trials, arguing that a joint trial would not be fair because Rozier’s lawyers would “put as much effort into prosecuting Luster” as the government, according to The Athletic’s Mike Varkunow (Twitter references). Varkunov notes that Rozier and Luster are the latest defendants in this particular NBA gambling case, adding that Rozier’s attorneys argued in their letter to Judge Darcy Hall that the NBA has provided medical records proving the guard was legitimately injured in the March 23, 2023 game, which is a key part of the case. Federal prosecutors suggested that Rozier, who was playing for Charlotte at the time, left the game early so bettors could cash in on a few “underpriced” bets.