Luka Doncic has settled in nicely with the Los Angeles Lakers the past few weeks, leading the team to the third seed in the Western Conference.
While the Lakers haven’t guaranteed themselves a playoff spot yet, the team is in prime position to finish within the top six given their record and tiebreaker situation. Los Angeles will be looking to get back on track following its loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder when they take on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
All eyes will be on this game as this will mark Doncic’s first return to Dallas following his blockbuster trade. Mavericks fans have yet to get over the shocking trade, so it’s going to be an emotionally-charged night for them and Doncic.
While Doncic admitted he’ll be emotional, he also acknowledged he’s unsure of what to expect, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Of course, it’s going to be a lot of emotion for me. 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, see my ex-teammates. It’s going to be very emotional for me for sure.”
It’s only been a couple of months since Doncic was dealt, so he didn’t have a good sense of whether or not he’s gotten any closure:
“Honestly, I don’t know about closure. It’s obviously a lot. But like I said, I’m excited to be back here. I know the fans can appreciate me being back here. But honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know how I’m gonna feel, but I’m just excited to be back.”
Doncic also noted how his new teammates have supported him as he deals with returning to Dallas:
“Great. It wasn’t hard, from the first day or second day, we kind of bonded. They’re just great people and we’ve just come together as a team. I think you can see that in our time on the court. Just a great group of guys. It’s my new team, so obviously we’re going for the win tomorrow and I think they understand there’s gonna be a lot of emotions for me.”
While Anthony Davis said he doesn’t have any emotions about facing his former team, it’s clear that Doncic will have to wrestle with his when he suits up against the Mavericks.
Being guarded by greats like Lu Dort brings out Luka Doncic’s competitive spirit
Lu Dort is one of the main reasons why the Oklahoma City Thunder own the NBA’s best defense. Dort is assigned the toughest perimeter assignments, and Luka Doncic admitted that being guarded by players like him bring out his competitive spirit.
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