The Washington Wizards liked what they saw from Anthony Davis in his team debut.
The Wizards, however, will have to wait at least another day for the debut of top overall pick AJ Dybantsa, who has been ruled out for the second straight contest in Friday’s game against the visiting Toronto Raptors.
Dybantsa has been nursing a sprained left ankle since sustaining the injury in the Wizards’ preseason finale against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. Head coach Brian Keefe has deemed the BYU product day-to-day. Dybantsa’s next chance to suit up will be Saturday, when Washington visits the Chicago Bulls.
Davis recorded a game-high 34 points and 12 rebounds in the Wizards’ 128-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday in the season opener for both teams. His 34 points matched Antawn Jamison’s total on Nov. 3, 2004, for the most in a Wizards debut.
“It felt great,” Davis said, playing in his first game since Jan. 8, when he was with the Dallas Mavericks. “It’s been nine months since I played a real game so it felt really good to be out on the floor and compete again, with these guys. Glad that we could get the win. I had so much fun tonight.”
The fans inside Capital One Arena had fun too, even shouting “MVP” chants in Davis’ direction after he scored 18 points in the third quarter.
“It was amazing. Probably the most hype I’ve seen the gym since I’ve been here. Probably the most energy we’ve had in there since I’ve been here,” Justin Champagnie told reporters after practice on Thursday. “You can see the difference. You can feel the difference when you walk in the gym. The energy is just higher.”
Trae Young contributed 20 points and 13 assists and Kyshawn George (18), Bilal Coulibaly (11), Deandre Ayton (11) and Bub Carrington (10) also finished with double-digit scoring.
While Washington finds itself above .500 for the first time since Nov. 28, 2022, Toronto got off to a strong start with a convincing 135-92 romp over Chicago on Wednesday.
Kawhi Leonard highlighted his 23-point total by making all 11 of his free-throw attempts for the Raptors, who never trailed in the contest.
“You can’t rush greatness,” Leonard said when asked about gradually returning to full playing capacity following a limited preseason.
The Raptors reacquired Leonard in a Sept. 14 trade, reuniting the 2019 NBA Finals MVP with the team he led to its first championship.
Leonard, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, also had four steals. That was one more than Ja’Kobe Walter.
“I think I did a good job starting off with three, but right now, I’m not leading,” Walter said after Thursday’s practice. “I definitely think that being competitive with my teammates because we all play defense and everybody’s getting steals is definitely going to help me reach that goal.”
–Field Level Media
