Doncic dazzles in emotional return to Dallas, scores 45 as Lakers smoke Mavs
It was a familiar sight for Dallas Mavericks fans as Luka Doncic hit step-back 3s, made no-look passes and mostly scored at will while leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112- 97 victory Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center.
Doncic scored 45 points, matching his season high, with eight rebounds and six assists in the Lakers’ victory.
And through it all, most of the fans in the AAC were very vocal in favor of Doncic, who teared up during a pregame tribute video showcasing his time as a Maverick, before going off for 31 points in the first half.
Lakers head coach JJ Reddick called Doncic “superhuman” for how he was able to play while dealing with all the emotions of his return to Dallas.
“It’s a beautiful moment,” Reddick said. “Video was great, but I think just his ability to then go perform, lights turn on. He’s teary-eyed still as we walk out on the court for the tip ball, to have the emotional resolve to then go put on that kind of performance. It’s superhuman and I think all his teammates know that too, because I think all his teammates can empathize with what he just went through over the last couple months, and maybe some anticipation, maybe some dread, but certainly a ton of emotions about tonight, and then he went and did that. It’s big time.”
In a postgame interview on ESPN, Doncic thanked the fans for the warm welcome.
“I really appreciate it,” Doncic said. “ I love these fans, I love this city.”
Doncic thanked his teammates and coaches after the game for how they supported him.
“They all had my back. That’s what we talked about before the game and everybody had my back, from coaches to players, and we’re trying to build something special here, and that was really, really nice to see,” Doncic said.
The Slovenian superstar, who spent 6 1/2 years in Dallas, received the loudest applause during introductions, and fans serenaded him with several MVP chants during the game.
Doncic explained his conflicting emotions post-game returning to Dallas.
“It was a little bit of both, happy and angry, you know, it was nice to see some familiar faces here, I spent a lot of time with them. Like you said, it was a lot of emotions. When I woke up, I was tired. I didn’t sleep much, excited about this game, really appreciated the fans,” Doncic said.
The animosity from fans toward the Mavs’ GM Nico Harrison for trading Doncic could also be heard from start to finish, with chants of “Fire Nico” — including when the Mavs’ PJ Washington, who previously railed against such chants, was shooting his free throws.
Naji Marshall led the Mavs in scoring and assists with 23 points, four rebounds and eight assists while Anthony Davis — the main player traded to Dallas in return for Doncic — struggled to score but stuffed the stat sheet otherwise with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Despite the loss, the Mavs secured the final play-in spot in the Western Conference after the Phoenix Suns fell 125-112 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 9:21 PM.
