NBA news: Lakers star Luka Doncic buries Mavericks in Dallas after emotional tribute

The Los Angeles Lakers and star man Luka Doncic picked up a statement 112-97 win over the Slovenian’s former side, the Dallas Mavericks, on Wednesday to secure a play-off berth.

It was an emotional night in Big D as Doncic walked away with world-class figures of 45-8-6, leaving the Mavericks’ ownership and management in disbelief.

Notably, both sets of fans – home and away – offered the recently traded point guard a rapturous reception.

Sports News Blitz and Film News Blitz writer Aidan Leo reflects on the clash at American Airlines Center and what it means for the Lakers and Doncic ahead of a tough postseason.

Fans’ emotional Doncic tribute

Wednesday evening marked Doncic’s first return to Dallas since getting traded by the Mavs’ GM Nico Harrison and his fellow higher-ups earlier this year.

Doncic’s appearance in the arena was met with substantial jubilation by both the home and away crowds.

The night began in typical fashion, each team’s bench players creating a tunnel for the starters to run through onto the court.

Doncic, set to enter the floor last, was seen sitting on the bench as it was revealed by the announcer that a short tribute to his time with the Mavs was to be played on the big screen.

Footage dated all the way back to his 2018 rookie season, when the Slovenian was drafted third overall by the Atlanta Hawks before being traded to the Mavericks.

Subsequent highlights showcased his growth to becoming a top-five player in the NBA and his welcoming demeanor with fans of all ages as well as a special tribute by those outside the arena.

There was also a montage of Doncic 77 jerseys being donned by supporters all over Dallas.

Doncic, for his part, matched the tribute video and cheers with grateful tears of his own.

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Luka’s performance

The Mavericks further honoured Doncic by selling custom jerseys with ‘Hvala za vse’ printed on them – ‘Thank you for everything’ in Slovenian.

Doncic returned the favour by putting on a clinic and dropping a staggering 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

In the end, it was not a bad night for the young star who reportedly got traded for being overweight and not possessing the right attitude to take a team to the promised land of an NBA championship.

That was despite him almost single-handedly taking Dallas to the NBA Finals last year.

Regardless, on Wednesday, Doncic showed up his naysayers and delivered the type of ‘Luka Magic’ performance that Mavs fans used to be accustomed to seeing.

Right from the game’s opening tip-off, ‘Fire Nico!’ chants boomed around the arena, quickly followed by ‘Thank you Nico’ chants from Lakers fans.

It was an awkward night for the home franchise’s management, to say the least, but a joyous occasion for Doncic and all his fans.

Certainly, I have never witnessed such a euphoric reception for one player from two opposing team’s fans.

The despair and disbelief on the face of former Mavs majority owner, Mark Cuban, when Doncic hit a tough three-pointer from the corner in the early stages of the game was evident.

Doncic left the court in the final minutes of proceedings and was duly met with a standing ovation.

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The Lakers’ Big 3

As remarkable as Doncic was, his performance was ably supported by teammates in a positive sign ahead of the play-offs.

Lebron James, a certified Top 2 all-time player and a worthy deputy even at the seasoned age of 40, added to Doncic’s heroics by dropping 27-7-3.

Although he only walked away with 11-4-4, Austin Reeves had averaged a whopping 23-5-5 over the last 10 appearances and presents a solid third option for a team possibly set for a successful play-off run this year.

In addition to those three, Rui Hachimura grabbed 15 points on the night and has now shot at 44% when it comes to three-pointers in the last 10 games.

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Play-off picture

Touch wood, but the Lakers could make a substantial play-off run in the West this year.

With a berth now secured, attention can turn to the strategies coach JJ Redick and his staff need to implement in order to navigate their way to the NBA Finals.

After an exceptional Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets managed a gentleman’s sweep over the Lakers last season, this iteration of the LA franchise will be hoping to go one better.

Posting a win-loss record of 2-2 against their Denver foes this term has definitely been a much-needed improvement on a previously dire record.

Dusting aside the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder a couple of games ago was also no small feat, especially as it came with a 27-point winning margin.

They were admittedly trounced 136-120 in the next game by the same opponent, but that was partly due to Doncic picking up an unjust technical foul that resulted in his untimely ejection from the court when the Lakers were leading by one point.

As it stands, the Lakers are the third seeds and will meet Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round at the season’s conclusion.

And if their night in Dallas is anything to go by, having begun in tears and concluded in triumph, the Lakers will have the vigour to aim first for the Western Conference finals and then the NBA Finals.

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