Anthony Davis was met with a chorus of boos throughout the night at the Smoothie King Center as the Dallas Mavericks visited the New Orleans Pelicans for the first time this season. Despite the hostile reception, Davis delivered a dominant performance, recording a massive double-double and etching his name into modern NBA history against his former team.
Booed All Night, Anthony Davis Makes NBA History Against Former Team
It’s been six years since Davis forced his way out of New Orleans. However, the Pelicans fans’ resentment is still lingering, as they continued to boo him on nearly every possession. But Davis kept fighting through it all, and erupted for 35 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes.
With this performance, Davis now has the most games by any player since 2000 with 35+ PTS & 15+ REB, underscoring the impact he has on a team when healthy.
Anthony Davis 35 PTS, 17 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 16/28 FG, 1/3 3FG, 59.7% TS vs Pelicans https://t.co/H8cYiIye4D pic.twitter.com/7hbverz0l2
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) December 23, 2025
However, the Mavericks ultimately fell yet again in the fourth quarter after controlling the game for most of the night. Dallas surrendered 40 points in the final period Monday night and lost 119–113 to the New Orleans Pelicans, continuing a troubling pattern after a similar late collapse in Philadelphia.
When Davis was asked about his historic performance coming in a loss, he was blunt.
“It means nothing,” he said. “I could have 70 and if we lose, it means nothing. I’m about wins.”
While the Mavericks have been far from ideal this season, sitting outside of the play-in contention, the Pelicans haven’t been great either, and entered the game with just seven wins in 29 games. However, they were also riding a four-game winning streak, and extended it to five courtesy of Zion Williamson and Derik Queen.
Davis received good support from Cooper Flagg and Klay Thompson, but no other player managed to step up. The 32-year-old was understandably disappointed with the performance and didn’t hold back postgame.
“It’s a lot of plays we could’ve had,” Davis said. “Loose balls, protecting the rim…We left PJ on an island with Zion. Simple things. We missed shots. Late quarter turnovers. That was the game right there. We missed 10 free throws. The other team scored 40 in the 4th quarter.”
Davis has also missed significant time this season due to injuries, but has performed well when healthy. Through 14 games, he is averaging 21 points and 11.6 rebounds per game while shooting 51.7% from the field.
Meanwhile, the loss dropped the Mavericks to 11-19 for the season, and 11th in the Western Conference. They will now return home to host the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
