Tuesday's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks is more than a revenge game for Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. It's a prove-it game for the 25-year-old phenom. He's going against an organization that claimed his conditioning was too poor, that he was too much to handle, and that he wasn't good enough to lead them to a championship (even though he led them to the Finals as an underdog in virtually every round).
Luka has shown time and time again that he is a lethal competitor. He'll be ready to snatch the Mavericks' hearts from their chests. Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Mavericks cast are still Lukas's hermanos, but this is personal, and 77 means business. He'll look to dominate his former squad and build on his last outing.
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Grading Luka Doncic's first four games as a Lakers
The last time we saw Luka on the floor, he was lighting up the championship-hopeful Denver Nuggets. That game alone causes me to grade Luka's Lakers stint on a curve up to this point.
Luka hadn't played before suiting up for the purple and gold since Christmas. Luka was dealing with a calf injury, so he likely couldn't get up and down the court much during his recovery period. That snaps any player out of game shape. Considering that Luka is a rhythm player who needs the ball in his hands for his magic to pop, it's understandable why he got off to a turtle start in LA.
Playing with an sll-timer like LeBron James will take some time to get used to for Luka, too. The high-IQ playmakers displayed instant chemistry with think-ahead connections, but both players must look at the other guy and think, "Wow, is this guy better than me?" I don't know if either has seriously pondered that question in their basketball careers.
Before the Nuggets W, we saw the woeful Charlotte Hornets target Luka possession after possession in the 4th quarter. That's partly why the Lakers fell short, but their overall team defense wasn't bad in that game. Overall, they've been the best defense in the league over the last 15 games. Granted, Luka wasn't there for all those games, but he was a part of the game plan that slowed MVP candidate Nikola Jokic down.
Over the last 15 games, the Lakers have the BEST DEFENSIVE RATING IN THE LEAGUE (106.4) 🔒 pic.twitter.com/8Xem7q6phE
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) February 25, 2025
JJ Redick devised a game plan consisting of front Jokic and pushing him off his spots before the catch. Luka got in on the action, playing timely defense in the passing lane. His true value, of course, came on the other side of the floor. Against the only contender Luka has gone against in a Lakers uniform, he scorched the Nuggets with a 32/10/7 stat line plus four deep balls. That's not an outrageous Luka game, but it's not a coincidence he had his first good Lakers game vs a high-level team. Luka always rises to the occasion.
His overall numbers before this Mavericks matchup are still funny-looking. But accounting for his long layoff and adjustment period with LeBron James, we'll give Luka's Lakers tenure a B so far. The defense has been horrible, then passable the next game. His shooting has been horrible but more than passable the next game. I'd rather his great games begin against a contender anyway. He and LeBron are building valuable chemistry that'll make them a handful in the postseason. The Dallas Mavericks get to feel the wrath of the star duo tonight.