After spending seven and a half years with the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic found himself in unfamiliar territory, facing his former team for the first time. What was familiar, Doncic’s performance on the court, helping his new Lakers squad to a 107-99 win last Tuesday night on an emotional night at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.
Doncic had his 81st career triple-double, with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, including two key passes to LeBron James in the 4th quarter, one on an over-the-top look for a James dunk to put the Lakers up 96-91 with 4:05 left and another for a James lay-up to put the game away. “It was so weird the moments, I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing,” Doncic said. “I’m glad we got the win.”
As fans chanted “Thank You, Nico” at Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison, Doncic showed off his full array of “Luka Magic” with an over the head blind pass to Austin Reaves for a 3-pointer in the 2nd quarter, a deceleration move in the 3rd quarter and making winning plays in the 4th quarter, despite an off-shooting, 6/17 field goal night.
Meanwhile, James scored 27 points on 11/17 FG, including 16 points in the 4th quarter. “He’s doing that at 40 years old, which is insane to take over in the 4th quarter,” Doncic said. “It was unbelievable to watch.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was even more impressed with LeBron’s defense of late. “This is not an exaggeration, if you watch our basketball team and you’ve watched our team for the last 6 weeks or so, LeBron is playing at an all-NBA defensive level,” Redick said. “People may have perceptions of what he is as a defender, I watch it every night. He doesn’t get scored on in isolation if teams do try to target him, he blows plays up, he’s always in the right position.”
Austin Reaves added 20 points, Rui Hachimura chipped in 15, and the Lakers are now 15-4 in their last 19 games.
The other superstar in the blockbuster trade, Anthony Davis did not play, missing his sixth straight game with an abdominal strain. Another former Laker who was involved in the blockbuster trade, Max Christie had 10 points and 6 assists in 37 minutes for Dallas.
For Doncic, it was anything but a normal night. Jordan Brand brought the sports car Koenigsegg Regera from the newly released ad to LA Live Plaza where fans could take pictures with the car. Long time Dallas owner Mark Cuban was in the crowd, with a big smile after a Luka 3-pointer against the team he once majority-owned. Luka embraced his former teammates before and after the game, including his signature handshake with Kyrie Irving. He warmed up with Harrison on the sidelines watching, but did not speak with the man who traded him from the Mavericks.
“It was a lot of emotions, I can’t even explain,” Doncic said. “It was a different game. Like I said, sometimes I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m just glad it’s over, honestly.”
The Lakers had season-high 57 rebounds including two crucial offensive boards down the stretch, a Dorian Finney-Smith putback to put the Lakers up 98-94 with 3:15 left to play and a James putback jam to give them a 102-96 lead with 2:25 remaining.
Finney-Smith impact does not fully show up in the box score but was felt by his teammates. His screen led to the Doncic basket that put the Lakers up 94-91. He made a key defensive play that led to a steal and Hachimura dunk. And the putback was his only 2 points of the night but came at a huge point in the game.
Many wondered what the Lakers would do offensively in close games. Some of those questions were answered against the Mavericks. Doncic was the primary ball-handler late, receiving screens from James as the Lakers played the Luka/LeBron 2-man game.
With so much attention on Luka and LeBron, Rui Hachimura’s baseline cuts may have gone unnoticed but have led to a plethora of easy baskets. Reaves likewise has adjusted well to the Doncic addition, finding more open space for drives into the lane and more open looks on the perimeter.
The Lakers continue their home stand on Friday when they face their cross-town rivals, the Clippers, at 7 p.m. They play three more home games on Sunday against Clippers again at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday they play the Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 6 they battle the Knicks on TNT at 7 p.m.