Davis hot in Dallas debut; Warriors win first game with Butler

LOS ANGELES  – Superstar big man Anthony Davis dazzled in his Dallas debut before hobbling out hurt in the third quarter of the Mavericks’ 116-105 NBA victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

Davis had given Dallas fans still fuming over the trade of Luka Doncic plenty of reasons to welcome his arrival, scoring 26 points with 16 rebounds, seven assists and three of the Mavs’ 18 blocked shots.

But he pulled up in pain with less than three minutes remaining in the third period, departing with what the team called a lower-body injury.

Elsewhere the Lakers, still waiting for Doncic to make his debut as he recovers from a calf strain, shrugged off the absence of superstar LeBron James – nursing a sore ankle – to beat the Indiana Pacers 124-117.

In Chicago, Jimmy Butler made a winning start to his career with the Golden State Warriors, scoring 25 points on his debut in a 132-111 victory over the Bulls.

The Oklahoma City Thunder extended their lead at the top of the Western Conference, dominating the second-placed Memphis Grizzlies 125-112 on the road in a statement win.

Jayson Tatum erupted for 40 points as the Boston Celtics thrashed the Knicks 131-104.