There was plenty of emotion in the building as Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since the blockbuster trade involving Anthony Davis. With Davis still sidelined, it looked like Doncic’s Lakers were going to run away from the Mavericks, but Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Co. brought it down to the wire. Los Angeles ultimately pulled out a 107-99 win, with Doncic recording a triple-double of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists to go along with three steals and two blocks.
After his first revenge game, Doncic admitted he was “exhausted” and “couldn’t wait to go to sleep.”
Adam Lefkoe: “Luka, how does it feel being over?”
Luka Doncic: “Great, man. I can’t wait to go to sleep, honestly. I’m exhausted.”
(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/DEY44jDwIB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 26, 2025
The Lakers star also acknowledged he was just happy to get it all “over” with, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“Sometimes I didn’t know what I was doing [out there] … I am just glad it’s over.”
And, naturally, Doncic referred to the game as “weird” several times.
“It felt so weird” Luka Doncic says pic.twitter.com/xsMYPzN6v8
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 26, 2025
It’s hard to blame Luka Doncic for this feeling, and the game was rather weird. The Lakers controlled things from the start and went up by as many as 16 points late in the first half. But just as it seemed like LA was going to embarrass Dallas with Nico Harrison in attendance, the Mavericks got back in the game. Dallas closed the gap to eight points at halftime and then got the margin to one heading into the fourth quarter. The game was tied midway through the fourth and was just a tw0-point game after an Irving triple with under four minutes to play, but the Mavs couldn’t get over the hump.
Doncic made his share of magical plays on his way to the triple-double, but he continues to struggle with his shot as a Laker. The superstar went 6-of-17 from the field and just 1-of-7 from 3-point range, dipping his shooting percentages with the team to 38.1% overall and 25.0% from 3-point land.
It wound up being LeBron James who took over, scoring 16 of his team-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to secure the win. LeBron also made waves with his defense as LA held Dallas to 22 points in the final frame.
Luka and the Lakers can now put this behind them for a bit, though there’s a trip to Dallas coming in April that promises to be even more emotional. And perhaps Anthony Davis will actually be playing in that one.
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