Doncic will return to play in Dallas on Wednesday for the first time since getting traded to the Lakers.
Luka Doncic will make his much-awaited return to the American Airlines Center on Wednesday for the first time since the Dallas Mavericks shockingly decided to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
Doncic has faced his former team once since the trade back on Feb. 25, when he recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists in the Lakers’ 107-99 win over the Mavericks.
But Wednesday’s game marks the first time Doncic returns to play in Dallas—the place he called home for nearly seven years and planned to spend his entire NBA career. Doncic was beloved in Dallas, so much so that the fans formed large protests after he was traded. After all, he was the face of the franchise that just led his team to the NBA Finals, yet even still, the Mavericks found him trade-able.
Ahead of the game, Doncic acknowledged that it will be an emotional return to Dallas, but he doesn’t know exactly how he will feel.
“Of course, it’s going to be a lot of emotion for me,” Doncic told reporters on Tuesday, via The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “I don’t even know what to expect. I don’t know how I’m going to feel, honestly. I know I’m looking forward to being back in Dallas, obviously with the fans, teammates—ex-teammates. It’s going to be very emotional for me for sure.”
LeBron James is looking to do “whatever Luka needs” to support Doncic in his return to Dallas, but adds “winning would be the best solution.”
The game will be both important emotionally, but also for the standings. The Lakers are looking to lock up the No. 3 seed, and need to go 2-1 to finish the season to do so. Getting a win tomorrow will be key for both Doncic and his current team.
Dončić says he was trash talking fan rather than ref before ejection in Lakers loss
Dončić didn’t wait for his much-anticipated return to Dallas to crank up the drama.
The night before he faces the franchise with which he spent his first six-and-a-half NBA seasons, he was ejected from the Los Angeles Lakers’ 136-120 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dončić scored 23 points on Tuesday night before his ejection. He said he was talking trash back and forth with a fan, but the officials thought he was directing abuse at a referee and he was ejected after picking up a second technical foul.
The crew chief, Tony Brothers, said Dončić had “looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.”
The fan in question, Jeremy Price, told ESPN he believed Dončić was shouting at him rather than a referee. “During the game within the game, I mentioned that he was short [on his shot] and he missed it, and he turned around and he shot an expletive back and [the referee] happened to see it and, at that point, T’d him up,” Price said.
The ejection affected the trajectory of the game. The Thunder outscored the Lakers 29-12 the rest of the way.
“I mean, it was tough,” Dončić said. “I mean, we were right there. I think we fought the whole game. … We came back in the third quarter. We were fighting, man. So it was tough to see that with this kind of situation to happen. And you know, that’s on me too, so I can’t let my team down like that.”
Now, Dončić can focus on the Mavericks – the team he led to the NBA finals just last season after winning the scoring title. The five-time All-Star was among those who were shocked when he was traded for Anthony Davis in February.
Though Dončić says he has bonded with his new teammates, he looks forward to being back in Dallas.
“Of course that’s going to be a lot of emotion for me,” he said. “Like, how do we know what to expect? I don’t know how I’m going to feel, honestly. I’m looking forward to being back in Dallas. Obviously, with the fans, seeing my teammates – ex-teammates – it’s going to be a very emotional for me, for sure.”
Dončić is averaging 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists in 26 games with the Lakers. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is well aware of the damage the versatile guard can inflict.
“He’s playing incredible, but that’s Luka,” Kidd said. “Luka’s one of the best players in the world. You’ve got to be able to show different defenses, and that’s even hard. When you look at what he’s doing – he’s shooting the 3, he’s getting to the rim and to the free-throw line and he’s setting the table for his teammates. Our defense will be tested.”
LeBron James, who has had a few returns throughout his career, said he expects Dončić to be received warmly.
“I think he’ll get a standing ovation and they’ll clap and cheer,” James said. “You’ll hear his name a lot. That’s what I’m expecting.”
James said the team is prepared to help Dončić work through the unusual circumstances.
“Whatever he needs,” James said. “I think winning will be the best solution.”
