Luka throttles Mavericks in return to Dallas
Tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers (49-31) took on the Dallas Mavericks (38-42) on the second night of a back-to-back. This game was emotional even before tip-off.
With storylines like Luka Doncic playing his first game back in Dallas and Anthony Davis playing his first game against his old squad, both fan bases had a lot of feelings.
Luka got emotional watching his tribute video from the Mavs 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ySim9PqNUg
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 9, 2025
One would think that if a 25-year-old superstar who loved his team and his city could receive as touching a tribute video as the one above, he would never have been shipped out in the first place.
Nico Harrison was put on blast all night for that asinine move in the form of multiple ‘fire Nico’ chants, with one coming as early as four seconds into the game.
Luka Magic
While the move is still ever puzzling, it has passed, and after watching the video, it seemed as if it gave Luka closure. After the tribute video, it was all business.
Luka began the game on an absolute tear, much to the delight of Mavericks fans. Hearing the crowd erupt for their beloved star was strange, considering he now dons another team’s colors. Nevertheless, Luka gave the people what they wanted.
LUKA HAD THE MOST HISTORIC REVENGE GAME IN SPORTS HISTORY 🐐 pic.twitter.com/AbJUhcdyIu
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 10, 2025
Doncic finished with 14 first-quarter points and was not done there. He toyed with the Mavericks all night, delivering a flurry of threes while relentlessly attacking the rim. Luka finished the game with a whopping 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and, most importantly, the win.
This Lakers team had Luka’s back all night long and capped off the win by dancing around on the sideline as the stadium played European folk music and the crowd chanted his name. That’s about as good of a storybook return as you could ask for.
Slow night for AD
The Lakers and Mavericks have played each other since the trade went down. The reason it feels much less important is not only that it was in LA, but Anthony Davis wasn’t even playing. Tonight was the first opportunity for The Brow to take on his former team.
Anthony Davis will go down as a Lakers legend and will forever be beloved. What’s coming next to write is tough. Davis’s performance tonight was not only underwhelming but also showed some habits that Lakers fans had grown weary of.
Luka Doncic vs Anthony Davis tonight
(Via @realapp_ ) pic.twitter.com/NZGG0wiMMr
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 10, 2025
For most of the night, he struggled to handle two defenders, needed to be talked into playing aggressively, and just seemed unengaged. This could be chalked up to the emotions of the night. It could also be that Davis is still not 100% right after coming back from his injury.
Regardless, Dallas will need a different AD than the one they saw tonight if they have championship aspirations next season.
Lakers clinch playoff spot
For the first time since 2020, the Lakers clinched a playoff spot. You may be thinking, haven’t the Lakers been in the playoffs since then? While correct, it’s also true that since 2020, the Lakers have only gotten into the playoffs via the play-in tournament.
With their win tonight, Los Angeles locked up, at worst, the 6th seed in the Western Conference. The good news is that they can climb even higher. If LA can win either of their last two games against the Rockets and Pelicans, they will officially secure the 3rd seed.
