Although it was clearly an emotionally charged evening for the Lakers when they played in Dallas on Wednesday, they still had work to do. They required one more victory to secure the sixth seed in the Western Conference and guarantee their avoidance of the high-stakes play-in tournament this season.
Moreover, securing a victory was crucial for maintaining their grip on the third seed in the Western Conference, guaranteeing them an opening-series advantage at home. With just two games left—a match against the Rockets on Friday and another versus the Trail Blazers on Sunday—they couldn’t afford to slip up.
And then there was the situation where Luka Doncic played his inaugural game against the Dallas team, just two months following his career took an unexpected turn due to being unexpectedly traded from the Mavericks to the Lakers.
The mission has been completed across all fronts as the Lakers defeated the Mavericks, 112-97. Luka Doncic led the charge with an impressive 45-point performance, hitting 16 of his 28 shots, and finishing with a plus-minus rating of +26 for the game.
The Lakers made special note of the Doncic showing, his best of the 2024-25 season, as the team showed on Twitter/X with the caption: "Season-High for Luka."
Doncic was visibly shaken before the start of the game, watching a video recapping the seven seasons he played with the Mavericks before the trade was made.
"So many emotions, I can't even explain it," Doncic told ESPN after the game. "As a young kid I came here in the NBA and they made me feel like home. Just a lot of great, great memories. ... I don't know how I did it. When I was watching that video, I was like, 'There's no way I am playing this game.' But all my teammates had my back, they really supported me."
And with a season-high in scoring to go with a win, it worked out for Doncic and his Lakers teammates.
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