Luka Doncic Shines in Emotional Return to Dallas

Luka Doncic made his long-awaited return to Dallas Wednesday night.

For 6.5 seasons, Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks and lit up the NBA. The 2018-19 Rookie of the Year, Doncic proceeded to earn First-Team All-NBA honors each of his next five seasons. Last season, the star led the Mavs to the NBA Finals and finished third for the MVP. Of course, Dallas honored its franchise player by shipping him off to Los Angeles in one of the most stunning trades in sports history.

Now a star for the Lakers, Doncic took the court in Dallas for the first time since Christmas Day — a game in which he injured his calf and made his final appearance as a Mav. As a tribute video played during player introductions, Doncic was visibly emotional. His Laker teammates embraced him at the conclusion of the video, and Doncic soon took the court with tears still in his eyes.

Once the jump ball was thrown, however, Doncic put his emotions aside and dominated his former team.

“After that video, I was, like, ‘There’s no way I’m playing this game,'” Doncic said. “It was so many emotions.”

The Slovenian superstar torched Dallas for 31 points in the first half to give the Lakers a three-point advantage entering the break. By the time the clock hit zeroes at the end of the fourth quarter, with the Lakers a 112-97 victor, Doncic had put together a vintage stat line — 45 points (16-of-28), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. As fans inside Dallas’ arena chanted “Luka”, Doncic’s teammates surrounded him and joined in on the chants. The show of support was not lost on Doncic.

“Big time, because they all had my back,” Doncic said of the moment. “Everybody had my back, from coaches to players, and we’re trying to build something special here. That was really, really, really nice to see.”

Doncic’s big night led the Lakers to a pivotal win. With two games left in the regular season, Los Angeles holds the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. One win in their final two games (vs. Houston, @ Portland) will secure the 3-seed and give the Lakers home-court in the first round. With his return to Dallas now in the rearview mirror, Doncic acknowledged that it is time to focus on the future.

“Talking about closure, sometimes hard because I spent a lot of time here. Great moments. But it’s getting more and more [normal]…I got to focus on different things now.”