Davis knew he was always going to return from injury this season

NEW YORK– Despite all the chatter on social media about whether or not he was going to play any more this season, Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis made it crystal clear that there was never any doubt in his mind.

From the time he strained his left adductor Feb. 8 against the Houston Rockets, Davis was determined to get back and help the Mavs make a strong push to grab a spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament.

“Seeing guys coming to the locker room after games and leaving it out on the floor and laying on the floor in the locker room just gassed to the point of exhaustion, there was no doubt I was going to come back and play,” Davis said following Monday’s 120-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center. “That makes you want to come out and play with these guys.

“They leave it on the floor and battle each and every night, and as one of the leaders of the team, I just want to go out there and do as much as I can to give them a breather at least.”

In playing Monday after missing 18 games, Davis collected 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot in 27 minutes against the Nets. Just his presence paved the way for his teammates to get some open shots at the basket that they normally wouldn’t have gotten.

“Driving to the lane, the bigs don’t want to help as much because you’ve got AD right there to dunk it, so the lane is wide open,” said Naji Marshall, who poured in 22 points off the bench. “On defense you don’t have to foul as much when (the opponents) go to the rim, because you know we’ve got AD back there protecting us.”

And that protection – along with the security of having a 10-time All-Star on the floor – gave the Mavs a bit more comfort in the game against the Nets.

“Physically, I felt great,” said Davis, who was restricted to playing 28 minutes. “It’s the mental aspect when you’re coming off of something like that (injury) to mentally be ready to go out and play.

“I was mentally ready, but then to get in the game action where you can’t really anticipate what the opposing team is going to do, I overcame that in the first minute or so.”

Coach Jason Kidd was thoroughly pleased with what he got from Davis, who helped the Mavs enjoy a 41-37 advantage in the rebounding department.

“I thought it was a positive experience,” Kidd said. “We tried to keep his runs short and we tried to keep him under his minutes, and I thought he did an incredible job. I thought his rhythm was good.

“For the rest of the guys sometimes when you get a player back like AD, you want to go to him every time. I thought the guys did a good job . . . and then the ball found him.”

Davis mainly played in four-minute increments, and the Nets had no choice but to recognize his presence and be aware of the major impact he can have on a game.

“Obviously on a minutes restriction, and J-Kidd did a good job of managing that,” Davis said. “Even when I felt like I was good to continue, he was making sure he protected me. But for the most part I felt great out there.”

Davis ramped up his return by practicing twice last week with the G League’s Texas Legends. Still, he acknowledged that the last six weeks following his injury were tough.

“Obviously seeing these guys battle every single night – winning close games, losing close games, blowing teams out, getting blown out, they laid it on the line,” Davis said. “For me it was never a thought about I wasn’t going to come back and play, especially if I was healthy. We’re undermanned. Guys are hurt.”

But with Davis back, the Mavs confidence is through the roof and they have an even better chance at securing one of the four Western Conference play-in spots. The Mavs and Phoenix Suns are tied for the 10^th and final play-in spot with 10 games remaining in the regular season.

“We’re trying to get to, not just to the 10^th seed, but past that and wherever we can go,” Davis said. “With (10) games left, try to make the push and see what happens and (when you) get in the play-in and playoffs, anything can happen.

“So, I’m just trying to keep the guys connected, get guys back in the swing of things, trying to get myself back in the rhythm and get ready for this push that we’re trying to make.”

And if the Mavs do manage to nab one of those play-in spots, then what?

“We just got to get healthy,” Davis said. “Once we do that we’ll go as far as our health goes.

“And I think as a healthy team we’re very tough to beat. But when we’re not healthy, then it’s going to be tough to win games.”

But with Davis back in the fold, it has suddenly become much easier.

BRIEFLY: Kidd’s first head coaching job was with the Nets during the 2013-14 season. That squad posted a 44-38 record, finished second in their division, defeated Toronto in seven games in the first round of the payoffs before losing to Miami in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. “I was a rookie coach and I didn’t have any idea what I was doing,” Kidd said. “As a player-coach (while playing), it’s totally different because you have the ball. As a coach, you’re responsible for 15 other individual who all want to play, who all feel that they should play, and on top of that, who all want to shoot the ball. As a coach I’ve got to learn very quickly. And with the help of (Nets forwards) Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, I was very lucky to have future hall of famers help me as a rookie coach. We started off extremely slow, but it was kind of cool by Jan. 1 we kind of figured it out. And with that experience I was able to be around to win a Game 7 as a rookie coach on the road in Toronto. I’ve changed a lot from the first couple of months here in Brooklyn. But just being around other coaches and other staffs and (being) involved in trying to help players get paid and achieve the one goal is to win championships (is great).” . . . The return of Davis has brought back the Mavs’ ability to play a pair of tall players on the front line at the same time. “We don’t have a lot of bigs,” Kidd said. “We’re going to try to keep AD at (power forward) as much as possible. But with the minute restrictions it handcuffs you a little bit. We will play with two bigs, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t see AD at the (center position) by himself.”

X: @DwainPrice