The Los Angeles Lakers will play host to the Dallas Mavericks tonight, in one of the most highly anticipated games of the NBA season as Luka Doncic will play against his former team for the first time since being traded away.
Having now appeared in four games as a member of the Lakers, it's been a relatively slow start for the Slovenian star, at least to his standards.
After suffering a left calf strain on Christmas day, Doncic proceeded to miss over a month of basketball before returning to the court versus the Jazz on Feb. 10. Coming off injury while also attempting to get assimilated into a new roster headed by LeBron James is no easy task, but Luka's performance in Denver on Saturday evening shows that he's now settled in.
Luka's performance versus the Nuggets
“I knew it was going to come,” Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith said of Doncic. “Luka, I shoot with him all the time, so I knew there was nothing wrong with his shot. He just hadn’t played for a while. He ain’t played since Christmas, and guys want him to come back and be 30, 10, and 10, but it takes time for him. I’m just happy he’s finding his rhythm.”
The Lakers routed the Nuggets 123-100 on the road, led by Luka who had a game-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and was a plus-20 on the court.
“When he made the first 3, I was like, ‘OK, he’s on it tonight,’” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said of Luka's performance. “I don’t know how much he’s 100% healthy, but he’s started to get back to his rhythm, so I’m happy for him.”
After an impressive win on the road over the Nuggets, the Lakers want to stack these wins, and they will have to do that tonight versus the Mavericks. Although this matchup won't feature Mavs center Anthony Davis, don't expect Dallas to lay down, as Luka will be looking for his revenge game.
Players and coaches speak on tonight's matchup
“I think he’s going to be excited, but everybody in the locker room is excited,” Finney-Smith said of Luka. “We’ve got his back. It’s going to be a hard-fought game. I know (Mavs coach Jason) Kidd is going to have them ready to come in here and compete, so we’ve just got to match their intensity.”
Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick discussed the emotions and how Luka will be able to handle playing against his former team for the first time after their win in Denver.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Redick said. “Every day that he’s been with us, it’s becoming just a little bit more normal. I’ve been there. The first time you play your old team, particularly this close in time duration, it’s going to be weird. But he’ll be able to handle it.”
Even with Luka on the opposite side of the Mavericks organization, his relationships with his former teammates have not faded away. Mavs P.J. Washington recently talked about his excitement to go up against Luka.
“I expect him to bring his 'A' game," Washington stated. "Knowing just the player he is, the mentality he brings to the game, I know he’s going to be ready as soon as we get out there. But obviously, we can’t wait to compete against him. We miss him. At the end of the day, he’s our brother."