Kentucky legend Anthony Davis compares play-in tournament to March Madness as Mavs brace for most difficult playoff path

By Sameer Khan

Modified Apr 12, 2025 12:03 GMT

NBA: Toronto Raptors at Dallas Mavericks - Source: Imagn

Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis was reminded of his Kentucky days after a reporter asked him about the play-in tournament’s win-or-go-home format. Davis compared it to the NCAA Tournament and recalled his time with the Wildcats.

“I’ve had the luxury of doing that in college,” Davis said. "One game. Win or go home… There is pressure. You don’t get a feel-out game like you usually do when you’re in the playoffs.

“You have to come in ready to go.”

Davis played plenty of win-or-go-home games during his time at Kentucky while leading the Wildcats to the national championship during his freshman year. He made 40 appearances, recording 14.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting 62.3% from the field.

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When asked if he likes the format, Davis joked that he does since it gives the Mavericks a chance to make the playoffs despite finishing their season in 10th. He said the play-in tournament can be rough for teams who finish their season with the seventh and eighth seeds.

Before the tournament was introduced, that position guaranteed a place in the playoffs. Now, teams can still get knocked out despite being in the top eight. The Mavericks will face the Sacramento Kings in their first play-in tournament game.

If they win, they will face either the Memphis Grizzlies or whoever ends up in seventh between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors. From the looks of it, Davis will need to rewind the clock to his Kentucky days if he hopes to lead this depleted Mavericks squad to the playoffs.

Anthony Davis narrowly misses out on a quadruple-double against the Raptors

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Anthony Davis had a stellar game as he led the Dallas Mavericks to a 124-102 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday. Davis narrowly missed out on a quadruple-double and finished his night with 23 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and seven blocks.

Following his monster performance against Toronto, Davis is recording 24.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season. He has only made nine appearances for the Mavs but seems to be getting into the flow of things. He averaged 24.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in April.

Anthony Davis couldn’t have picked a better time to find his form as the Mavericks prepare to take a difficult path to the playoffs.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by R. Elahi