He was arrested hours before tip-off – then became the game’s unlikely hero

There seems to be no stretch of the season when Anthony Davis isn’t battling pain. The Lakers big man’s health problems have become chronic, forcing him to fight through recurring injuries in his quest for consistency and to showcase his undeniable basketball talent.

Dallas wins ugly as Pacers fall just short

In Dallas, the Mavericks wrapped up a five-game homestand at the American Airlines Center with just two wins – one of them against the visiting Pacers, who won’t return to Texas again this season. Indiana, still without Tyrese Haliburton after that chilling injury he sustained while chasing the ring, struggled with dreadful shooting from key players who had been standouts in last year’s Finals. Aaron Nesmith went 1-for-9 from deep, 1-for-7 on twos, and missed both his free throws, while Pascal Siakam managed just 39% from the field. Even so, the Pacers pushed it to the wire, with the scoreboard frozen at 107-105 by the final buzzer.

Indiana is also missing Obi Toppin and turned to the market, signing high-flying guard Mac McClung to his first standard NBA contract to shore up their early-season rotation. It will still be an uphill battle given where they’re coming from and what they’ve got to work with.

The Cameroonian Pascal Siakam (27 points, 13 rebounds) wasn’t the only player to post a double-double. Rookie Cooper Flagg (15 and 10), who had been listed as questionable before tip-off, played a superb game. Despite hitting only 20% of their threes, Dallas managed to stay ahead on the scoreboard.

The Mavericks were up by ten with three and a half minutes left but nearly blew it after slowing things down too early. Two Siakam threes and another from Walker had the Texas crowd on edge, though they ended up leaving happy after a hard-fought win.

It was reckless, frankly, for Davis to play at all. The team later confirmed he’s dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy. He lasted just seven minutes, scoring four points and grabbing four rebounds before limping off. Dwight Powell, cheered by the home crowd, did an admirable job in relief – drawing fouls and going 10-for-12 from the line.

Arrested development for Williams

But the night’s headline belonged to Brandon Williams, a 25-year-old Los Angeles native who had been arrested hours earlier for marijuana possession at Fort Worth Airport after attending a friend’s funeral. He came off the bench to pour in 20 points in 22 minutes, punishing the Pacers with a fiery performance. Basketball, as ever, writes its own scripts.

Other NBA results:

• Bulls 126 – Kings 113
• Nets 112 – Hawks 117
• Nuggets 122 – Pelicans 88
• Jazz 134 – Blazers 136
• Raptors 121 – Rockets 139
• Pistons 135 – Magic 116
• Celtics 125 – Cavaliers 105
• Timberwolves 115 – Lakers 116
• Suns 113 – Grizzlies 114

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