Anthony Davis is delighted to be in Mexico City as the Dallas Mavericks make their record fourth regular-season appearance in Mexico’s capital, but he’s not happy that he won’t get to play in Saturday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
Davis injured his lower left leg during Wednesday’s victory over the Indiana Pacers and has been ruled out for at least the next two games while he heals.
Unfortunately for Davis, his list of injuries is longer than the list of NBA games played in Mexico City. The Mavericks-Pistons clash marks the 15th regular-season contest. The NBA also has held 19 preseason games in the country.
Kidd said he participated in a preseason game in Mexico City during the mid-1990s when he played for the Mavericks.
After praising the culture of Mexico City, Kidd said one thing really stood out.
“Oxygen, because of the altitude,” Kidd said. “You get tired really quick in here.”
That will require an adjustment for players from both teams as the 7,349-foot altitude in Mexico City is much higher than any NBA city. The Denver Nuggets’ mile-high altitude is the highest elevation in the NBA.
This will be Detroit’s second appearance in Mexico City and the first also came against the Mavericks. Dallas won 122-111 on Dec. 12, 2019, as Luka Doncic racked up 41 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Mavericks big man Dwight Powell is the lone player from that matchup who will be part of Saturday’s affair.
The Pistons are excited to be in Mexico City.
“We have great team camaraderie right now, great energy,” said Detroit forward Isaiah Stewart. “We’re ready to get down to it (Saturday) and play some Detroit basketball in Mexico.”
The Pistons have a 3-2 mark and are coming off a solid 135-116 home victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Detroit trailed by 10 in the first half before overwhelming the Magic with 106 points over the final three quarters.
The result was much needed after the Pistons were routed 116-95 by the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
“It’s a great win for us against a team with a lot of talent,” Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham said. “Bouncing back from last game. That was an ugly game. We needed to come in and play the right way. So it was a good win for us.”
Cunningham contributed 30 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots against Orlando without committing a turnover. Cunningham leads Detroit in scoring (22.2 points per game) and assists (8.2).
“He continued to be aggressive,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “When he figures out where his spots on the floor where he could attack and try to stay away from traffic — more isolation situations and not always pick and roll — but he’s Cade Cunningham for a reason. And we’re lucky to have him.”
Meanwhile, Powell stepped up after Davis was injured to help the Mavericks post a 107-105 win over the Pacers. He contributed 18 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in a season-high 29 minutes and was serenaded with “MVP” chants during the fourth quarter.
“It’s always tough when one of your main guys or anybody goes down,” Powell said. “We wanted to make sure (Davis) was all right, and he was on our mind.
“But at the end of the day we got to step up — and whoever’s number is called, find a way to stick to the game plan. And fortunately, a bunch of guys stepped up.”
Davis, who leads Dallas in scoring (20.8), rebounding (10.2) and steals (1.6), won’t be the only frontcourt player missing for Dallas. Dereck Lively II (right knee sprain) is also out while Daniel Gafford (sprained right ankle) is questionable. Lively has not played since Sunday and Gafford has yet to make his season debut.
