While the loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder was still fresh, it was hard for the Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Doncic to dwell on it as they continued their road back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks.
The matchup marked Doncic’s first time back in Dallas since his surprising blockbuster trade to Los Angeles, and all eyes were on the Lakers star when he took the floor against his former team. There was an emotional start to the night as the Mavericks honored Doncic with a heartfelt video tribute that moved him to tears.
Although the focus of the game was understandably on Doncic, the Lakers still had plenty to play for as a win would secure a top-six playoff berth. Although Dallas hung around for most of the night, Los Angeles pulled away in the fourth quarter to pick up a much-needed victory.
Doncic clearly looked comfortable being back on his old floor as he was aggressive from the jump, scoring both inside and outside to get Los Angeles up front early. The Mavericks tried to give Doncic multiple defensive looks, but Doncic torched his old team for 31 first-half points.
While Doncic slowed down in the second half, he sealed the game with a couple of buckets late in the fourth quarter. The crowd gave Doncic a long and well-deserved ovation when he checked out the game as he finished the night with 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.
LeBron James was the perfect No. 2 option behind Doncic as he let his co-star dominate the first half and picked his spots to score in the second half. James seemed to be conserving his energy for the fourth as he finally asserted his will and physicality in the half court.
Dallas had no answer for James when he got a full head of steam and he made them pay with several drives to the rim. James had an efficient 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Rui Hachimura was a key factor on both ends in the win as he battled Anthony Davis in the post and drained open shots to keep Dallas at bay. Hachimura finished with 15 points.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will return home to host one more game at Crypto.com Arena against the Houston Rockets on Friday before finishing the 2024-25 season on the road on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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