On an emotionally charged evening, the Dallas Mavericks welcomed the Los Angeles Lakers to the American Airlines Center, marking Luka Doncic’s return for the first time since his trade in February. Emotions ran high prior to the match, with Doncic shedding tears during a commemorative video tribute; these feelings continued affecting him throughout the opening quarter.
For their 46th distinct starting lineup this season, the Mavericks began with Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II, whereas the Lakers sent out Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes onto the court.
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Dončić displayed his emotions openly yet started strong, scoring 14 points in the opening quarter on 5-of-9 shooting, along with grabbing several rebounds and dishing out an assist. However, Dallas managed to stay close thanks to long-range shots from Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Spencer Dinwiddie.
As soon as Dončić went to sit out for a break, the Lakers struggled to maintain control over the ball. This allowed the Mavericks, particularly Naji Marshall, to swiftly advance up the court and reach the hoop easily. By the close of the opening period, the Mavericks held a narrow advantage at 28-26, with Dončić topping the scorer’s list. Despite this, Marshall was not too distant behind, having racked up nine points himself.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Dallas extended their lead to as many as six points thanks largely to strong performances inside from Daniel Gafford and Naji Marshall. However, once Luka Dončić returned to the court, he promptly led a run to even things out again. Adding to the excitement was an unexpected alley-oop dunk by Austin Reaves, eliciting quite a response from LeBron James.
Dončić and Dorian Finney-Smith, who previously played for the Mavericks, hit consecutive three-pointers to give the Lakers their biggest lead of five points early in the game. Dončić maintained his scoring spree with a last-second three-pointer at the end of the quarter and made several trips to the free-throw line; by then, he had scored more points in this half than in his initial matchup against his old team in Los Angeles during February. Despite Dončić’s efforts, Dallas managed to stay close thanks largely to him. The Lakers held a slim advantage of 58-55 heading into halftime, fueled primarily by Dončić’s 31 points. In contrast, Anthony Davis contributed only four points throughout the period.
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Early in the third quarter, Dallas tied the game when Anthony Davis made a difficult reverse layup. However, the Lakers countered with a 9-0 surge. Luka Doncic accounted for seven of those points, contributing four himself and finding Rui Hachimura with an impressive behind-the-back, two-bounce assist during their fast break. Shortly thereafter, LeBron James drove to the hoop, extending the Lakers' lead to double digits.
The Lakers extended their advantage when Rui Hachimura scored consecutive buckets, pushing the lead to 13 points and prompting another timeout from coach Jason Kidd. However, after this break, his team emerged firing off a 7-0 streak, narrowing the gap down to just six points as they managed to contain the Lakers’ scoring effectively. Nevertheless, the Lakers regained some momentum midway through the period thanks to a swift series of scores by Doncic, securing an 83-76 edge heading into the final quarter.
The Mavericks initiated the final quarter with an 8-0 surge, primarily focusing on layups near the basket. This scoring burst allowed them to seize their initial advantage since halftime, coinciding with Anthony Davis becoming increasingly dominant. Subsequently, Klay Thompson responded defensively before sinking a fast-break three-pointer, which compelled coach JJ Redick to call for a timeout.
When Doncic returned to the court, the previous dynamics were swiftly restored, as the Lakers embarked on a 9-0 scoring streak led largely by LeBron James, giving them a commanding seven-point advantage. Following this surge, both teams' offensive strategies began to click again once P.J. Washington found his rhythm. However, James maintained their substantial lead with an agile drive for a layup that deftly bounced off the backboard. He then made another strong finish at the rim despite taking contact, extending their edge to ten points with roughly four minutes remaining. From there, the Lakers comfortably held onto their lead; when Doncic departed amidst applause, the final score stood at Lakers 112, Mavericks 97.
For the Mavericks, Naji Marshall performed impressively as their starting point guard, ending up with 23 points and dishing out 8 assists. He was supported closely by P.J. Washington who contributed 14 points, Anthony Davis adding a double-double of 13 points along with 11 rebounds and 6 assists, Max Christie scoring 11 points, and Daniel Gafford chipping in with 10 points.
Luka Doncic topped the scoring with 45 points, achieving an impressive 16 out of 28 from the field, along with contributing 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. He was closely trailed by LeBron James who scored 27 points, Rui Hachimura adding 15 points, and Austin Reaves chipping in with 11 points.
Dallas will remain at home to face the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
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This piece was initially published on www.si.com/nba/mavericks as Luka Doncic's 45 points lead Lakers over Mavericks in his Dallas return, 112-97 .
