A few weeks after the trade that shocked the world, Luka Doncic will play against his former team as the Los Angeles Lakers get set to host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
There have understandably been many emotions for Doncic since the trade, but he finally seems to have moved past that. He is coming off his best game since joining the Lakers.
There’s no doubt that he wants to take it to the Mavericks, though, and Dorian Finney-Smith discussed how excited he is that he expects his teammate to be on Tuesday.
“I think he’s gonna be excited. But everybody in the locker room is excited, we got his back,” Finney-Smith said. “It’s gonna be a hard-fought game, and we know Jason Kidd will have them ready to come in and compete. We gotta match their intensity.”
Finney-Smith knows Doncic better than anyone on the Lakers roster considering they were teammates in Dallas. And with that, he knows his teammate will be ready.
“I’m excited. I know he’s gonna be ready. But I try not to put too much pressure on him. I know we just want to get the win. If we win, I know he’ll be alright.
At the end of the day, though, Finney-Smith says the Lakers just need to focus on winning against a tough opponent.
“Just go out there and play hard,” Finney-Smith said. “We want to get this win just like any other game, but we know there’s gonna be a lot of emotion in the air regarding everything that’s gonna happen. But try to go out there and get the win.”
Doncic has always been fueled by pettiness throughout his career, but Tuesday may take it to another level going against the team that traded him and then seemingly trashed him in every way possible on his way out.
Doncic Believes the Lakers Can Compete for Championship
It’s a small sample, but the Lakers have started to find their form in recent weeks. Luka Doncic is still trying to build his chemistry with his new team, but he believes the sky is the limit.
“Our goal is to win the championship; that’s our only goal,” Doncic said when asked how far the team can go.
“And I think we have the team for that. Obviously, the chemistry with me and the guys is gonna take a little time, but as you saw today, I think it’s getting better and better.”
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