Anthony Davis Wizards Debut Ends Nine-Month Wait in Style

The Anthony Davis Wizards Debut finally happened, and it lived up to the wait. Nine months after Washington acquired the ten-time All-Star, Davis dropped 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Wizards to a 128-116 opening-night win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Capital One Arena on opening night.

Davis had not played a regular-season game since Jan. 8, back when he was still with the Dallas Mavericks. Washington landed him in an eight-player trade in February, but he arrived injured and never suited up for the Wizards last season. The eight-player deal was one of the biggest midseason moves of the previous campaign, and Washington paid the price knowing Davis would not be available right away. When he finally walked onto the court Wednesday night, the home crowd greeted him with an "MVP" chant before the first quarter was over, according to the Associated Press.

For long stretches, the crowd had little to cheer. Washington missed 18 of its first 22 attempts from three-point range and trailed the Bucks for much of the night. Milwaukee stayed in front into the second half on hot perimeter shooting of its own, and finished the game with fifteen made threes. Davis kept the Wizards close almost single-handedly, pouring in 18 points in the third quarter while the offense sputtered around him.

A fourth-quarter takeover

The game turned on a Deandre Ayton dunk that put Washington ahead 97-96 early in the fourth quarter. What followed was a 21-4 burst that pushed the lead to 111-98 with 7:26 remaining. The Wizards shot 63 percent from the field in the second half and outscored Milwaukee 77-60 after halftime. Trae Young added 20 points and thirteen assists, while Kyshawn George chipped in eighteen points and Ayton scored 11 on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench.

The numbers underneath were uneven. Washington made just six of its 28 three-point attempts but scored 70 points in the paint to Milwaukee's 50, and went 32 of 41 at the free-throw line. The Wizards also came up with eleven steals and seven blocks, according to ClutchPoints, and committed only 13 turnovers all night.

The debut record

The Anthony Davis Wizards Debut matched a franchise mark. His scoring total tied the most points ever recorded by a player in a Washington debut, a record first set by Antawn Jamison in November 2004, the team's public relations account noted after the game. Jamison reached the same number against Memphis; Davis did it against Milwaukee, more than two decades later.

A different Milwaukee

The Bucks are a very different team than the one that contended in the East for years. Milwaukee traded franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami in the offseason, and Wednesday was also the first game in charge for new head coach Taylor Jenkins, previously of Memphis. Jenkins inherits a roster in transition, with its former cornerstone gone and a new core being built around Herro and Jaquez. Tyler Herro led the Bucks with 24 points, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 22, with both having arrived in the Antetokounmpo deal, according to the Associated Press.

Washington was missing its biggest draft prize. AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick, sat out with a sprained ankle, though he was seen bumping chests with Davis on the sideline during the game. The Anthony Davis Wizards Debut clearly meant something to the locker room: Davis said afterward that nine months had passed since his last real game, calling the night emotional and full of energy. Young went further, saying nights like this one will put Davis in the MVP conversation.

What comes next

For Washington fans, the Anthony Davis Wizards Debut was a glimpse of something the franchise has rarely offered. The Wizards have won fifty games total across the past three seasons, and the opening-night crowd made clear how hungry it is for watchable basketball. The front office bet its rebuild on the idea that a healthy Davis changes everything in the East, and on Wednesday the idea did not look crazy. Both teams are back in action Friday: the Bucks host Chicago, and the Wizards host Toronto, according to Sportsnet.