Luka Doncic went off for a season-high 45 points as the Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
When the now infamous trade—possibly the most shocking in NBA history—was announced at the beginning of February, it did not take long for fans to turn their attention forward to April 9th, when Doncic would return to the city he called home for six years.
He did not disappoint. It was a vintage Luka game with deadeye shooting, incisive drives to the hoop and dissecting dishes to open teammates. The win on the road was big for LA, placing them firmly in the No. 3 seed as the playoffs loom.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | FG% | 3P% | +/- |
| 45 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 57.1 | 70.0 | +26 |
The Lakers are by no means favourites to come out of the West this year—that would have to be OKC—but they are right up there in that next tier of contender, especially after the shock announcement by the Nuggets this week.
It was the perfect revenge game against Nico Harrison and the Mavs organisation, whose concerns over his weight, work ethic and reliability spurred them to offload the Slovenian at a cut price the season after he led them to their first NBA Finals since 2011.
Luka Doncic full of emotion as Mavericks fans give heartfelt reception
While there may be bad blood with the Mavs Executives, for the fans and for the city of Dallas, it was a homecoming for a player they never wanted to lose. Before the game, a heartfelt video commemorating Doncic’s time in Dallas had him in an emotional state before tip-off.
The game was unlike any other in the NBA this season, with the home fans cheering every bucket made by the opposing team’s best player. Had you turned the TV on, you’d have been forgiven for thinking the game was in LA.
Mavericks fans donning the iconic 77 jersey leapt from their seats each time Luka scored and held up signs around the arena showing where their loyalties still lie.
As the game wound down, Doncic was subbed out with just over a minute left, earning a standing ovation for his homecoming performance.
In an emotional post-game interview, Luka remarked: “I don’t know how I did it”, about playing the game following the emotional welcome he received.
He went on to say: “I love these fans. I love this city. But it’s time to move on”.
Assessing the Luka AD trade two months on
Last night’s masterful performance aside, now that some time has passed, the picture around this trade becomes clearer.
From a business perspective, the Mavs are set to lose tens of millions in revenue from the loss of the Slovenian as crowds thin, merchandise sales plummet and sponsors turn their heads elsewhere. But from a basketball perspective, it could be even worse.
Doncic was coming back from injury when the trade occurred, and after a few weeks of getting back up to speed, has meshed and thrived alongside Lebron James and Austin Reaves, forming arguably the best offensive trio in the league.
The Lakers are the No. 3 seed with the playoffs just over a week away and will be gearing up to challenge for a record-equalling 18th NBA title.
Davis, on the other hand, sustained a knee injury during his Mavs debut and spent the next six weeks sidelined. He is back in the lineup now, but the Mavericks are currently clinging onto the final play-in spot and don’t look any way ready to make a post-season run.
There’s no doubting Davis’ ability, but the decision to trade a 26-year-old superstar with some conditioning concerns for a 32-year-old with a far worse injury history hasn’t become any less of a head-scratcher since the day the story broke.
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