Anthony Davis gets brutally honest on Mavericks blowing late 10-point lead to tanking Nets

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DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks endured a surprising 113-109 defeat against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. The Nets, who are now just 25-51, handed the Mavs a concerning loss as Dallas attempts to clinch an NBA Play-In Tournament position. Anthony Davis reacted to the team’s performance following the game.

Anthony Davis on the Mavericks losing to the Nets: "Tough loss… game we should have won."

AD also said the Mavs need to be better on defense. #MFFLpic.twitter.com/JG4tPxCCO6

— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) April 1, 2025

“We know the position that we are in… Definitely a tough loss,” Davis told reporters. “A game we should have won. Hats off to them, they shot the ball really, really well… We just gotta do a better job on the defensive end, also offensively especially late-game.”

It was a difficult defeat to say the least. The fact of the matter is that Dallas is still in contention for an NBA Play-In Tournament spot, though. The Mavs hold the No. 9 overall seed in the Western Conference standings. However, the Sacramento Kings trail the Mavs by just a half-game in the standings.

The No. 10 seed represents the final play-in spot, but the Mavericks would prefer to have home-court advantage in a 9 vs. 10 clash.

The good news at the moment is that Daniel Gafford returned from injury and played well on Monday. The Mavs center is on a minutes restriction, as he played just under 19 minutes against the Nets. He still finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds.

Davis said Gafford was “phenomenal” in his return from injury.

“It was good to have him back,” AD added.

Additionally, Jason Kidd told reporters before the game that Dereck Lively II is trending towards returning soon. The Mavs head coach did not provide a specific injury return date, but it would not be surprising to see Lively play on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.

Bouncing back on Wednesday will be pivotal as the 2024-25 season winds down. Tip-off for the Hawks-Mavericks game is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST in Dallas.

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